Space In Your Face
by FarSideOfTheSun
Summary: This is my first story, so I'm sorry if it's bad. Well, anyway, in the story Lilo and Stitch befriend an alien princess whose homeworld is at war with the Irken Empire. No flames, please. However, constructive criticism is fine.
1. Prologue

**Author's note: I don't own Invader Zim or Lilo and Stitch. I'm just writing this story for fun. However, I do own the Centauri,**  
><strong>the alien race that appears in this story. As their name suggests, they resemble Centaurs, but with foxlike heads and faces, and three<strong>  
><strong>fingers on each hand.<strong>

* * *

><p>Aboard Space Station Ixion, several miles above Planet Vort...<p>

Centauri Commander Achilles leaned over his Vortian comrade's shoulder to check the control panels. Scratching his chin, he studied every screen, knob, button, and lever carefully. After several minutes' worth of inspection, he decided that everything was in good working condition.

"Any sign of them yet, Lieutenant Le-Sha?"

"None so far, sir," the Vortian replied, nervously twiddling her thumbs. "There were a couple of Voot cruisers sighted near Planet Togo about two hours ago, but no one has seen the Irken Armada approaching the border yet."

"Good," said the Clydesdale Centauri. "Keep an eye on those scanners. If anything happens, let me know."

Le-Sha stood up and saluted. "Yes, sir!"

"Irken monsters," Achilles growled as he headed down the corridor leading to the cafeteria. "Destroying everything in their path, leaving a trail of havoc in their wake. Have they no conscience?"

Such were the goings on aboard Space Station Ixion, one of six Galactic Alliance outposts established to protect the Vortian border from Irken attacks. The Centauri had been at war with the Irken Empire for years, and their military strength was fading. They hated to pull the Galactic Alliance into the war as well, but they had no choice. The Irkens were simply too much for the Centauri to handle on their own.

However, despite the extra help given them, the Centauri still continued to suffer massive losses.

_When will this madness end?_ Achilles wondered.

His thoughts were soon interrupted by the noises coming from the station's cafeteria. Officers of various alien species sat at small tables, chatting with each other over their snacks and drinks. Waiters scurried here and there, taking and delivering orders. An occasional cough or sneeze sounded above the din.

Achilles strode into the room and took a seat at an empty table. While he waited for a waiter to come and take his order, his thoughts returned to the ongoing war.

"They will pay," he muttered. "Every last one of them!"

* * *

><p>Somewhere in space, aboard the Massive...<p>

"Incoming transmission from Planet Vort, sirs!"

"W-w-what?" Almighty Tallest Purple woke with a start, spilling his soda all over himself and his partner, Almighty Tallest Red.

"Irk's sakes, Purple, watch where you're throwing stuff!" snapped the crimson-eyed Irken leader.

"Sorry, I was taking a nap and I wasn't paying attention," mumbled his lavender-eyed counterpart.

"Sirs, the transmission!" the head communications officer reminded his dim-witted superiors. "It's Invader Larb."

"Oh ,yeah, put him on-screen," replied Red. "And could someone bring me a towel?"

"Greetings, my Tallest," said Invader Larb as he appeared on-screen. "I just wanted to let you know that the planet Vort is almost ready for conquest."

"Wait, what do you mean 'almost ready'"? Purple asked suspiciously.

"Well, it seems that the Galactic Alliance and the Centauri have established an outpost to protect the Vortian border," Larb explained. "They might try to protect the planet as well. The Centauri and the Vortians did form an alliance a while back, you know."

"Don't remind me, those nosy Centauri," growled Red as he dried himself off with his towel.

"However," Larb continued, "I am building a device that will jam the station's sensors. That way, they won't see us coming. We'll be able to take them by surprise."

"Excellent," purred Red. "When will this sensor jammer be ready?"

"It's almost done. I hope to have it ready by tonight," replied the Invader.

"Good work, soldier, make us proud," said Purple.

"Thank you, my Tallest. Invader Larb, signing off."

With that, the communications officers cut the transmission.

"Set coodinates for Planet Vort," Red ordered. "And step on it!"


	2. Chapter 1: Beach Party Blues

Chapter one: Beach Party Blues

On Planet Earth...

Meanwhile, on the Planet Earth, on the island of Kauai, Hawaii, a lively beach party was underway. Locals and tourists alike took part in a variety of activities, which included volleyball, swimming, surfing, sand castle building, and just plain goofing off. Yes, it seemed like everyone was having a good time...

Except for one person.

"Has anyone seen Maya?" asked Lilo Pelekai. "She's going to miss the sand castle contest. She promised she would help me and Stitch with our sand castle."

"I don't know, Lilo," replied her older sister Nani, who was setting up a couple of beach chairs. "Maybe she went into the shade to rest."

"Perhaps she got tired and went home early," suggested Jumba Jookiba, an alien scientist who was living with Lilo and Nani, along with Maya and Agent Wendy Pleakley.

"I saw her over by the shave-ice stand," said Nani's friend David Kawena, who was waxing his surfboard. "If you hurry, she might still be there."

"I'm worried about her," said Nani as Lilo hurried off to find Maya. "She's been so inattentive and depressed lately. I wonder what's wrong..."

* * *

><p><em>Things get worse and worse every day...when will it all end...?<em>

"Hey Miss Four-Legs, hurry up and order something! You're holding up the line!"

Jolted from her thoughts, the white Centauri female turned around to face the speaker. Oh, I should have guessed, she thought with disgust. It was that obnoxious little red-haired girl with glasses, what was her name again? Martha, Mirna, Meryl...Mertle! That was it! That mean girl from Lilo's hula class.

"My name is Maya, you little jerk," the Centauri growled.

"Excuse me miss, can I help you?" asked the shave-ice vendor.

"Huh? Oh, yes please." Blushing, Maya turned her attention to the vendor. "Sorry, my head is up in the clouds today. Oh well, I guess I'll have a peach shave-ice, please."

After receiving her order and paying the vendor, Maya left the shave-ice line and walked over to the volleyball field to watch the game taking place there. As she watched the ball shoot back and forth over the net, her thoughts turned once again to her homeworld, her people, her family...and the war they were in.

_My people have lost so much in this awful war. We are forced to cut back on so many things we once took for granted. Families are being torn apart, wives become widows, children become orphans and go to bed hungry...Those horrible Irken slime-balls! I wish I could-_

"Maya! Over here!"

Maya turned around to find Lilo and her dog, Stitch (who was actually one of Jumba's alien experiments), calling to her from over by the dock.

Oh, that's right! she remembered. I promised Lilo I'd help her with the sand castle contest! She got up and hurried over to her friends.

"Don't worry, guys, I haven't forgotten," she told them. "The sand castle contest isn't until three, so we can do something else while we're waiting."

"Why don't we go looking for seashells and funny rocks?" Lilo suggested.

"Alright," said Maya. "Stitch, lead the way."

"Eh!" Stitch saluted, and dropped down on all fours. Nose to the ground, he scurried along the seashore, Lilo and Maya at his heels, stopping every once in a while to stare at a random person, pick his nose with his tongue, or pick up a shell or other interesting object. The shells were inspected before they were put in Lilo's bucket, just to be sure...

"Ouch!" cried Stitch as he tried to shake off the hermit crab that was pinching his nose. Apparently that shell had already been spoken for!

"It's okay, Stitch, here's another shell that looks just like that one." Lilo held up the shell she had found and inspected it closely. "And nobody's home, so we can keep it."

"Hey, guys, look what I found!" Maya held up a starfish in one hand and a sand dollar in the other hand. Giggling, she placed the starfish on the upper right side of her head, wearing it like a barrette. "How do I look?"

"Blecccchh!" Clutching his stomach, Stitch stumbled around in circles, pretending to throw up. After a minute of this, he collapsed on his stomach and pretended he was dead.

"Very funny, Stitch," growled Maya, rolling her eyes.

Lilo patted her on the shoulder. "Don't listen to him. I think you look cute, like the Little Mermaid."

Maya chuckled. "Thanks, Lilo. I can always count on a compliment from you to help me forget my troubles. In fact, I can't even remember what was bothering me earlier."

"Well, that's what friends are for," said Lilo with a smile.


	3. Chapter 2: The Bitter Taste of Defeat

In the Continental United States, in an unnamed town...

_Crash_!

People stopped what they were doing to watch the all-too-common scenario before them. A black-haired boy wearing glasses came flying straight out of that weird house at the end of the cul-de-sac. After about five yards, his flight was broken by a trash can overflowing with garbage.

"And stay out, you meddlesome earth monkey!" shouted a raspy voice from inside the strange house.

The boy stood up, covered head to toe in smelly garbage. "You haven't won yet, Zim!" he yelled, shaking his fist in the direction of the house. "Someday, somehow, I will expose you for the evil alien menace that you are! I don't know when, but it _will_ happen!"

"Fool! Begone with you!"

* * *

><p>Inside the strange house...<p>

"Curse that Dib-human! Curse him!" muttered Irken "Invader" Zim as he stomped back into his house, slamming the door behind him. "Ooooh, how he will pay!"

Just today, Zim had caught his arch-nemesis, Dib, snooping around his base with a camera. After about an hour's chase, he caught the annoying human boy and threw him out the door. The camera, however, was still in Zim's base.

_He could still use that thing to watch my every move!_ the diminutive Irken thought. _I'd best destroy it immediately!_ Turning toward the kitchen, he shouted, "Gir!"

Within seconds, an Irken SIR unit shot out of the kitchen and stopped short at his master's feet, saluting. "Yes, sir!"

"Gir, the camera, quick, eat it!" said Zim, pointing at Dib's camera, which lay on the floor in front of the couch.

"Yes, my master!" Gir marched over to the camera, picked it up, and opened his mouth as if about to eat it. Suddenly, he jumped up on the couch, placed the camera next to him, grabbed the remote, and turned on the television.

Irritated by his minion's incompetence, Zim marched down angrily to his secret laboratory. He had better things to do then watch that horrible monkey!

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, at Dib's house...<p>

"I almost had him, Gaz. Honest to goodness this time. If it wasn't for that stupid rubber pig I tripped over, Zim would probably be on the autopsy table by now, and the Earth would be saved."

Dib was pacing back and forth in the living room of his house, ranting about how unfair it was that after, like, a million tries, he still hadn't caught and exposed Zim yet. His sister Gaz was sitting on the couch, playing her Game Slave 2 and pretending to ignore him.

"He may have won this round, but I'm not giving up," said Dib with a determined look on his face. "I _will_ find a way to show his true self to the world. I _will_ find a way to make everyone see the truth. This is my homeworld, and I must defend it!"

"Go away, Dib," growled Gaz, still trying to concentrate on her game. Oh, how it annoyed her when Dib carried on like this! Oh, how it annoyed her when he talked nonstop about all this paranormal nonsense!  
>And it especially annoyed her when he talked about his stupid plans to prove that Zim was an alien!<p>

_Why couldn't I have had a normal family?_ she thought miserably.

While Dib continued to pace and plan, Gaz put down her game, got off the couch and walked into the kitchen. She opened the fridge and studied its contents carefully.

Suddenly her face twisted into a horrible scowl.

"Dib! Did you eat the last piece of pizza?"

* * *

><p>Galactic Federation Headquarters, Planet Turo...<p>

_Tap. Tap. Tap._ King Shadowfax of Centauria tapped his hoof impatiently against the floor. He had tried to contact Space Station Ixion all afternoon, and the transmissions weren't getting through. "What's going on? Why won't they answer?" he demanded.

The cat-like communications officer nibbled his fingernails. "I don't know, sir," he replied. "Perhaps their communications system is down for maintenance..."

"Are you sure?" asked Shadowfax's wife, Queen Hippodamia. "When we called them this morning, their system was working fine. Something worse than that must have happened up there."

"Don't worry, dear," said her husband, "That station is equipped with some of our best weaponry and finest officers. Whatever is wrong up there, I'm sure it isn't serious."

"Don't get too overconfident, Shadowfax," warned the Grand Councilwoman. "Just because the station staff is well-trained and the weapons are advanced does not mean that the facility is invincible. Accidents could still happen there."

Suddenly, an alarm went off, signalling that a ship was about to emerge from hyperspace.

"It's Lieutenant Le-Sha!" exclaimed the communications officer when the ship came into view.

"Wow, her ship looks like it took a pretty big beating," remarked the armadillo-like alien sitting next to him. Checking her instruments, she added, "It looks like she's hailing us."

"Put her onscreen," ordered the Grand Councilwoman.

Hippodamia felt the blood drain from her face. The Vortian Lieutenant was obviously bringing a message from the station, and it did not look very promising.


	4. Chapter 3: They've Gone Way Too Far!

Chapter three: They've Gone Way Too Far!

Back on Kauai, Hawaii...

It was early in the evening. The Pelekai family was arriving home after having spent most of the day at the beach. While Nani, Jumba, Pleakley and Maya carried things like beach chairs and picnic baskets, Lilo was carrying the silver trophy she had won for placing second in the sand castle contest. The prize also included a coupon for free ice cream from Kailena's Tropical Treats. Stitch, of course, carried the bucket full of seashells.

"Wow, that was some party, wasn't it?" Pleakley remarked.

"Yeah, I'm all funned out for the day," Maya replied.

Jumba just mumbled something about ridiculous earth amusement.

Nani removed the house keys from her picnic basket and unlocked the front door. As she opened it, the family was greeted by the sound of a beeping communicator.

"Now who could be calling at this hour?" she wondered aloud.

Pleakley ran into the kitchen to answer the communicator. The others walked into the living room and flopped down on chairs or on the couch.

"Um, sorry you didn't win first place in the sand castle contest, Lilo," said Maya.

"Oh, that's alright," Lilo replied cheerfully. "At least we beat Mertle and her friends. Remember last week, they were telling everyone they were going to win? We sure showed them today!"

"Yeah, we showed them alright, didn't we?" Maya chuckled.

"Eh!" Stitch agreed.

Pleakley emerged from the kitchen, holding the communicator. "Maya, it's your father," he announced, handing it to her. "He wants to talk to you, and it sounds urgent."

"Hi Dad, what's up?" Maya greeted her father over the communicator. "Is everything all right? How are Mom and Savannah?"

"Your mother and sister are fine, Maya," replied Shadowfax. "However, I have some bad news. We have just received word that the Irken Armada has destroyed Space Station Ixion and taken Planet Vort. Only five survivors managed to escape the station before destruction."

"W-WHAT!" Maya gasped in surprise, nearly dropping the commuicator. "But how?"

"According to what the survivors told us, the station's sensors were jammed. Lieutenant Le-Sha thinks it is most likely the work of an Irken Invader-Class soldier, though the evidence for her theory is inconclusive."

"What about the other five outposts on the Vortian border?"

"They are fine for now, but it is only a matter of time before the Armada comes after them, too. We are sending whatever reinforcements we can to protect them, but I'm not sure how much good that will do."

"Is there anything I can do to help?" Maya asked, fighting back tears.

"For now, you can help by staying out of danger," Shadowfax firmly told his daughter. "I have sent Savannah to stay with some friends on Plorginar. You are safe on Earth. Stay where you are."

"But Dad-"

"Amaya, it is too dangerous. The Irken race is cruel and merciless. If you were to be captured by them, who knows what harm they would do you! Your mother and I cannot let you endanger yourself, or anyone else. You must stay on Earth, where you are safe."

Before Maya could protest, Shadowfax signed off, leaving his daughter standing still in stunned silence.

"Is everything alright, Maya?" Nani asked somewhat timidly.

After a few more minutes of silence, Maya stormed upstairs to her room. After locking the door behind her, she threw herself angrily upon her bed. Burying her face in her pillow, she unleashed all the tears and sadness that had built up within her.

* * *

><p>Back at Zim's house...<p>

_Ding-dong!_

"I'll get it!" Gir squealed as he jumped off the couch and ran to the door. Opening the door a crack, he peeked out to see who it was.

Standing outside the door was an acne-faced teenage boy wearing a black T-shirt, blue jeans, and an apron that had "Peggy Panda's Chinese Takeout" written on it. He was carrying two steaming cardboard cartons and a paper bag. Gir opened the door wider.

"Here's the food you ordered," the delivery boy said as he placed the items on the doorstep. Having done this, he hurried back to his car.

"Thank you," Gir whispered as he gathered his parcels. "I...I love you!"

Zim came up from his lab to see who rang the doorbell. As soon as he saw Gir standing there with the door open, he narrowed his eyes and scowled. Once he saw the Chinese food, however, his scowl disappeared.

"Let me guess, you had a coupon," he said as he shut the door.

"Yep," Gir replied as he jumped back onto the couch, clutching an egg roll in each hand. "You want some?"

Zim made a sick face. "Ugh, no!"

"You sure? No cheese!"

"Gir, keep that disgusting Earth food away from me! And once you're finished eating, meet me down in the lab. I need you to help me pack. We're moving our base."

"Okey-dokey!"

With a great deal of slurping and lip-smacking, Gir finished his egg rolls. Then he devoured the fried rice, chewing it with his mouth open and spraying pieces of it all over the room.

Gagging at Gir's horrible table manners, Zim returned to his lab to finish loading his equipment and personal belongings onto his Voot cruiser. Fed up with Dib's constant attempts to expose him, the Irken had decided to move his hideout to a different location - somewhere far away, where the annoying Earth boy would never be able to find him - some place called Hawaii.

"Master, are you sure this is the location you want?" the house computer asked nervously. "The area you have chosen is completely surrounded by water, and gets a great deal of rain every year."

"Don't worry, I'll just wear paste every time I go outside," sneered Zim. "And since Dib knows of my weakness to water, that particular spot is the last place on this wretched dirtball he'd hope to find me. At last, I can conquer the world in peace!"

"Okay, if you're sure," said the computer.

Some masters sure were a total pain!

* * *

><p>Kauai, Hawaii, midnight...<p>

_"The universe will be ours for the taking! It's only a matter of time before all the races of the universe serve...the Irken Empire!"  
><em>  
><em>"I'll have them serve me curly fries...curly fries...curly fries..."<br>_  
>"No!"<p>

Maya woke with a start, gasping and sweating. After pulling herself out of bed, she dashed into the hall toward the bathroom, clutching at her aching stomach. She positioned herself right above the toilet, where she promptly lost her supper - and possibly her lunch, too!

"Ugh, what a night," she whispered to herself as she flushed the toilet. Brushing her sweaty bangs from her forehead, she went downstairs to the kitchen, looking for something to calm her upset  
>tummy. She was just about to open one of the cupboards when she heard footsteps...<p>

"Who's there?"

"Sorry, is just me."

"Oh, Stitch, it's only you." Maya sighed, relieved. Thank goodness it wasn't Pleakley mistaking her for a robber again! That would have been just horrible and embarrassing!

"Is something wrong?" asked the blue koala-like alien as he retrieved a soda from the refrigerator.

"Oh, I was just looking for the antacid tablets," the Centauri explained. "Do you know where Nani keeps them?"

"Eh!" Stitch scurried up the wall, across the ceiling, and stopped just above the cupboard above the stove. He then opened the cupboard, retrieved the bottle of stomach tablets, and handed it to Maya.

"Thank you," Maya whispered.

"Naga*," replied Stitch.

Maya sat down at the kitchen table, opened the bottle, and poured two tablets into her hand. As she placed them in her mouth and chewed, her mind went back to her father's news and her nightmare. _Those Irken scum-suckers have gone way too far!_ she thought grimly. _I can't just stand by doing nothing as they spread their reign of terror. They must be stopped!_ _... But Dad told me to stay_ _here, on Earth ..._

"Maya, what are you doing up at this time?"

The Centauri princess turned her head to find Lilo standing at the entrance to the kitchen, carrying her rather strange-looking handmade doll.

"I'm sorry, Lilo, did I wake you?"

"No, I was just going to get a drink, and I heard you and Stitch talking," Lilo explained.

Maya blushed. "Oh, I had a bad dream and woke up with an upset tummy, and I was looking for some stomach medicine when Stitch came in."

Lilo poured herself a glass of orange juice and took a seat at the table next to Maya. "You're worried about your homeworld and your people, aren't you?" she asked.

"Yes I am, Lilo," Maya said softly. "The war we're in with the Irkens has been going on for a long time, since before I was born. It started when fourteen Centauri children were kidnapped from a Centauri settlement on Planet Exel by Irken Elite soldiers and forced into slavery on the Irken mining planet Diamonia. We felt it was our duty to avenge those innocent children by declaring war on the Irken Empire. So that's what we did."

"That's awful," Lilo whispered.

"I know. And the worst thing is, the Irkens have a habit of conquering other planets for their own selfish purposes. For some reason, they think they are superior to other alien races. Even those they once befriended, like the Vortians."

A long moment of silence passed. Finally, Maya got up from the table and headed toward the front door. Lilo and Stitch followed her.

"Where are you going?" Lilo asked. "My mind is made up," Maya announced. "I'm going out into space to stop the Irken Armada before they attack our other outposts."

"But your father told you to stay here."

"Lilo, I can no longer just sit here and do nothing while thousands suffer. The Irkens have gone way too far, and someone needs to teach them a darn good lesson. It might as well be me."

Lilo reached out and grabbed Maya's hand. "And me. I'm coming with you."

"Me too!" added Stitch.

Maya shook her head. "Oh-hoh no! Absolutely not. It's too dangerous out there."

"If you can endanger yourself for your people, then so can we," Lilo stubbornly replied. "And Stitch can help fight the bad guys."

"Eh!" Stitch stood up and saluted.

Maya rolled her eyes and groaned. She should have anticipated this! Lilo was practically a legend for being impossible to argue with. "Oh, all right, you can come," she reluctantly agreed, "but you have to do exactly what I say and stay out of trouble."

"We promise," said Lilo.

"Smeesh," added Stitch.

Being careful not to wake anyone else, the trio slipped quietly out the door and headed for the garage, where a huge mound covered by a heavy green blanket awaited them.

"Aren't we going to take Jumba and Pleakley's ship?" asked a puzzled Lilo.

Maya shook her head. "No, if we do that the Armada will see us coming. I want to take them by surprise, so we're going to take... this!"

She grabbed the blanket and jerked it away, revealing what looked like a Galactic Alliance police cruiser.

"It's the red one!" exclaimed Stitch as he did a little happy dance.

"That's right, Stitch, we're taking the red one," said Maya. She helped Stitch and Lilo into the cruiser first, then she climbed in after them.

"Okay, now where did I put the keys?" she asked aloud. Suddenly her ears perked up at the sound of zapping electricity.

"Stitch!"

"Ooooh, conjijiba, zzz-zzz!" Stitch grinned broadly at Maya and Lilo as he hot-wired the cruiser. Within seconds, the engine roared to life.

Maya jumped into the driver's seat, buckled up, and grabbed the throttle. "Hang on tight, you two!" she told her passengers. "We're going into outer space!"

The cruiser lifted off and zoomed out of the garage and into the sky, then out of the Earth's atmosphere and into deep space, leaving a trail of thin, wispy smoke behind it.

***Author's note: I believe "naga" is Stitch's way of saying "thank you". I could be wrong, though.**


	5. Chapter 4: Missing Bottle Caps

Aboard the Massive...

_"What kind of Centauri are you, siding with the Irkens?"_

_"Don't you even remember what they did to your people?"_

_"You're a traitor to your family, your people, and your homeworld!"_

The prisoners' accusations ringing in her head, the Palomino Centauri stormed down the hallways of the Massive's lower decks, trying not to cry. It was not the first time she had been treated that way. Every time she was assigned prison guard duty, she was met with cold, unfriendly stares and accusations from the prisoners, especially those who were of her species.

"And all because I befriended the Irkens," she said to herself grimly. "But what else could I do? They're like family to me."

"Miss Alambil?"

Gasping, Alambil turned around to face the person who had spoken to her. It was Zarthab, the head communications officer aboard the Massive.

"Zarthab, don't scare me like that!" she scolded. "You almost scared the living daylights out of me."

"I'm so sorry about that, my lady," the fuschia-eyed Irken apologized, "but the Tallests want to speak with you."

"Okay, I'll be right there."

Alambil followed Zarthab to one of the elevators leading to the upper decks. As she boarded the elevator, her thoughts went to the battle that had taken place the day before, the one that ended with the destruction of Space Station Ixion and the capture of Planet Vort. She remembered the looks of sorrow and indignation on the prisoners' faces as the Enforcers loaded them onto transport vessels to be taken to Irken-owned prison colonies and labor camps.

"Hey Zarthab, do you remember yesterday's battle?" she asked casually.

"Why do you ask?" Zarthab inquired.

"Well, I was just thinking about it today, and ...um... I'm kind of having second thoughts about it. Maybe we should have just left them alone."

Zarthab was so shocked when he heard this, he almost swallowed his gum. "*Cough*! Excuse me?"

"Think about it, Zar. The Vortians were our allies. They didn't do anything to deserve us turning on them like that, did they?"

"We either expand or we die, Alambil. That's just the way things are in the Empire."

Alambil opened her mouth to protest, but closed it again. She knew very well that once an Irken made up his or her mind about something, there was no changing it. Zarthab was no exception to that rule.

The two of them remained silent until the elevator reached the upper decks. As they entered the hallway leading to the main command deck, they were approached by an impatient-looking Tallest Red.

"Where have you been all day, Billie?" he demanded, using his and Purple's pet name for her. "The head jailer told me you ran off without finishing your rounds in the prison."

"I'm so sorry about that," the Centauri apologized, "it's just that...well..."

"Well what?" asked Purple as he entered the room.

Alambil nervously chewed her fingernails, trying to find a good excuse for not finishing her work. _I can't tell them about the prisoners' accusations getting to me,_ she thought. _They'll just think I'm stupid or_ _not trying hard enough...What am I kidding? They're my friends, they'll probably understand...but then again, maybe not..._

"Alambil, answer me!" snapped Red impatiently.

"She was helping me look for something, Dad!" a sudden voice piped up. The group turned to find Red's eldest son,* Tarquin, standing at the entrance to the room, holding a can of soda.

"Umm, yeah that's it!" Alambil chimed in. "I was helping Tark look for his missing...ehrm...bottle cap!"

Red and Purple exchanged puzzled looks. "Bottle cap?"

"Yeah, I've started collecting them," Tark replied. "I thought I'd take up some sort of hobby to occupy my spare time."

"Yep, collecting bottle caps sure is a lot of fun," Alambil giggled nervously.

The Tallests continued to stare at each other in confused silence. Finally, Purple sighed loudly and said, "Okay, Billie, we'll let you off the hook just this once. But next time we won't go so easy on you. Got it?"

Alambil nodded. "Yes, sir."

"Good, I'm glad we got that all cleared up," said Red, clapping his hands together. Turning to the casual onlookers, he added, "Now, everyone back to your stations before I throw you all out the air lock. "

Zarthab and the other technicians hurried back to their posts at the control panels, while the Tallests headed for the snack bar. Alambil decided to spend time on the recreation deck until it was time for her to start her engine inspection rounds. "Hey Tark, fancy a game of pool with me?" she called over her shoulder. "I've got an hour and a half till I have to inspect the engine rooms."

"Sure, I'd be glad to," replied the red-eyed Irken prince. As the two aliens headed down to the recreation deck, Alambil chuckled quietly to herself. _Let those who call me a traitor think what they want_ _to_ _think!_ she thought. _They're just jealous because they don't have friends like the ones I have!_

***Author's note: Yes, I am aware of the fact that Irkens are unable to have families due to their lack of certain mechanisms. However, since this  
>is my story, I can deviate from canon limitations if I want to. <strong>


	6. Chapter 5: Starting Over

Aboard Zim's Voot, en route to Kauai...

"Are we there yet?"

"Gir, be quiet! I told you, we get there when we get there!"

Zim's Voot cruiser zoomed over the Pacific Ocean on its way to Hawaii. Inside the cramped cockpit Zim slumped in his seat, trying not to fall asleep, while Gir asked annoying questions and sang stupid songs to pass the time.

"Hey, doodie-doodie, be my sweet patootie..."

"GIR, BE QUIET!" screamed the irritable Irken. He was about to pummel the SIR unit when the computer announced, "Proximity warning: island ahead!" Zim checked the map on his cruiser's control panel. _Kokaua Town, Kauai, Hawaii._This was the place!

"Gir, we're here!" he exclaimed. "This is the place. Dib will never find us here. At last, Zim can finish his mission in peace. Now let's find somewhere to rebuild our base."

"Yay, we're gonna go swimmin'!" Gir squealed joyfully.

Zim just pretended to ignore him.

* * *

><p>Kokaua Town, mid-afternoon...<p>

Mertle Edmonds and her friends Yuki, Theresa, and Elena were on their way to the movie theater to see a movie when they noticed a strange-looking spaceship flying over Kokaua Town.

"Look at that!" exclaimed Yuki, pointing at the ship. The other three girls turned their heads to see.

"Oh no, here comes another one," Mertle grumbled. "As if Weirdlo and all her disconfigured pets weren't bad enough. One more freakazoid from another planet, that's just what we need."

"Someone should put up a really big sign that says 'No Aliens Allowed'," said Theresa.

"Yeah, or maybe 'E.T. Go Home'," added Elena. Then all four girls burst out laughing and continued on their way to the theater.

* * *

><p>Zim scanned the entire island, looking for a good place to rebuild his base. Finally he found the spot he was looking for. He flew his cruiser over to the area and landed there.<p>

"Okay, now we rebuild," he mumbled to himself. He pulled out one of those doodle-pad capsule things and sketched the blueprints for his new base. This one would be similar to the old one, except that it would have three palm trees on either side of the yard and a doormat shaped like a pineapple.

"Can I be a mongoose this time?" Gir asked.

"No, Gir," Zim replied. He then planted the capsule in the ground, and everything proceeded as it did the first time. However, this time it was in a smaller neighborhood, so there wasn't as much earthling attention drawn. As soon as the new house was finished, Zim and Gir went inside to check it out. Everything was laid out the same as in the old house, so they had no trouble finding their way around.

"Yay, we're home!" squealed Gir as he ran up to the couch and jumped on it. He grabbed the remote, snuggled up to a pillow, and turned on the Scary Monkey Show.

Grinning evilly, Zim marched down to his new lab. World conquest would be so much easier now, he thought, without Dib to bother him. Yes, it seemed like everything was going his way, for once...

* * *

><p>"Wow! Look at that!" exclaimed Pleakley excitedly as he peered through Jumba's telescope. Everyone else in the house stopped what they were doing and raced upstairs to join him.<p>

"Look at what, Pleakley?" Nani asked.

"That!" Pleakley pointed out the window to a strange-looking house way in the distance. "I just saw that house build itself! I didn't know Earth had Instant-Building technology. How fascinating!"

"What are you talking about, Pleakley?" asked David. "Buildings can't build themselves here on Earth."

Jumba peered through the telescope and scratched his chin thoughtfully. "Is very strange house, all right," he remarked. "It must have been built by alien technology unfamiliar to the Galactic Federation."

"Unfamiliar technology!" Pleakley screamed. "You mean there's someone from the Outer Regions here?"

"Outer Regions?" Nani and David asked simultaneously.

"Yeah, it's how we Federationites refer to the worlds beyond Federation territory," Pleakley explained. "Our knowledge of Outer Region planets comes mainly from the Centauri, since they have had more experience with them than any other Federation planet." He snapped his fingers as if he just realized something. "Hey, why don't we ask Maya about it? Maybe she'll be able to name the technology used to build that house."

"You know, I haven't seen Maya all day," David remarked. "Or Lilo or Stitch, either."

Jumba and Nani went to Maya's room and knocked on the door. "Maya, are you in there?" asked Nani. "We would like to talk to you about something."

No reply.

"Princess Amaya, open this door at once!" Jumba commanded.

Still no reply.

"Maya, please answer us, or we're coming in!"

Nani waited five more minutes for a response. When none came, she grabbed the doorknob and opened the door. The room was empty.

"Where is Maya?" Nani asked nervously.

"Maybe she went exploring with little girl and 626," Jumba suggested.

"Well, they'd better be home soon," said Pleakley as he and David entered the room to see what was wrong. "It's almost time for dinner."

"Wait, what's this?" David walked over to Maya's dresser and picked up a folded piece of paper. As he unfolded the note Nani, Pleakley, and Jumba gathered around to read it:

_Dear Jumba, Pleakley, Nani, and David,_  
><em>Stitch and I went with Maya into space to help her kick the Irkens' butts. <em>  
><em>Don't worry about us, we will do exactly what Maya tells us to do, and we <em>  
><em>will remember not to eat dog food. <em>  
><em>Lilo<em>

A long period of stunned silence passed. Suddenly Nani dashed downstairs into the kitchen, picked up the phone, and began dialing a number.

"Jumba, you call the Grand Councilwoman while I call Cobra Bubbles!" she commanded.

"This...is...not...good!" Pleakley stammered.


	7. Chapter 6: Meeting Spaz

Space, somewhere in the Outer Regions...

Lilo gazed out the window of Maya's cruiser, with Stitch curled up next to her. Sure, she'd been to outer space a few times before, but this time, there was just something about the vastness of the universe that filled her with a sense of awe she'd never felt before."Maybe it's a reminder of how big the universe really is," she whispered to herself, "and that we are all a part of something so much bigger than we can imagine."

Maya, however, wasn't enjoying the beauty of space nearly as much. She had her thoughts only on flying the cruiser and getting revenge for all the wrongs the  
>Irken Empire had committed against her people. <em>Mark my words, they will regret everything!<em> her thoughts screamed. _They very darn will! Once I get my hands on  
>the Tallests' sorry necks...<em>

"Maya, watch out!"

Gasping, Maya brought herself back to reality just in time to dodge out-of-the-way of an incoming comet. Boy, it sure was a good thing she brought Lilo along.  
>Otherwise, she would have crashed!<p>

"Thanks for the heads-up, Lilo. You're a real live-saver."

"You're welcome, Maya. You really should pay more attention while you're driving."

Maya blushed. "Sorry about that, I'll try to remember next time."

For the next half hour the trip continued in silence. Suddenly the cruiser's proximity alarm went off, indicating there was a planet nearby.

"Maka maka!" Stitch jumped up from his seat on to the control panel, pointing excitedly at the strange brown and yellow planet up ahead.

"What planet is that?" Lilo asked.

Maya checked her map. "That's Planet Thraxx, home of the rhino-lizard people. And lots of geysers and rocks."

"Sounds cool! Can we stop here for a while? You know, to stretch our legs?"

Maya hesitated for a bit. They had been travelling nonstop for almost two hours now, and a rest stop would be nice. But she was eager to catch up with the Irken Armada  
>before they reached the Vortian border. Finally she sighed loudly and said, "Alright, we can stop, but only for a little while."<p>

"Yay!" Lilo and Stitch cheered simultaneously.

Maya steered the cruiser toward the planet and prepared to enter its atmosphere. Swirly yellow clouds rushed by as she entered, but they soon cleared up to reveal a  
>rocky canyon surrounded by geysers that spouted a pale lavender mist. A brownish-orange soil covered the planet's surface.<p>

"I sure hope the Thraxxians are friendly," Lilo remarked as the cruiser landed two miles from the canyon's edge.

"Oh, they get along with most other species just fine," Maya told her. "And their diet mainly consists of insects, eggs, and fruit, so you don't need to worry about  
>them eating you."<p>

The three friends climbed out of the cruiser and began to explore the strange planet they were on. Maya led the way, while Stitch and Lilo followed at her heels. About  
>every ten seconds Stitch would stop to take a closer look at something, only to have the something pinch his nose or spit in his face.<p>

"Bleeaaauugh!" Gagging, Stitch jumped away from a geyser that had just sprayed him with a foul-tasting liquid, while Lilo and Maya pointed and laughed at  
>the weird faces he was making. Stitch, however, didn't think that was funny at all.<p>

"Please no laugh at Stitch," he wimpered. "You hurt Stitch's feelings."

"W-we're s-sss-sorry, Ss-Stitch!" Lilo gasped between laughs, while Maya rolled around on the ground, giggling uncontrollably.  
>This went on for the next five minutes. Finally, both girls managed to get control of themselves and stopped laughing.<p>

"Okay Stitch, we're done," Maya wheezed as she pulled herself off the ground and began brushing the dirt off her clothes. Just as she was  
>about to fix up her hair, something caught her eye. It looked like a foot, clad in a strange metallic boot, sticking out of a dark cave.<br>As the threesome approached to get a closer look, however, the foot pulled itself back into the shadows of the cave.  
>Seconds later, the sound of running feet could be heard.<p>

"Wait, come back!" Lilo called. She was just about to follow the runaway into the cave when Stitch grabbed her arm.

"No go, may be dangerous," he warned her.

"Guys, I think we'd better go," Maya announced. "It's getting late."

The three of them headed back to their cruiser. As they got closer, Lilo noticed something.

"Someone's been messing with our ship," she said.

Maya climbed into the cockpit to inspect the damage. "Someone messed with the hyperdrive," she growled. "They  
>took all our fuel and other supplies, too. So I guess we're stuck here until we can get the hyperdrive fixed<br>and the ship refueled."

"Maka maka, saw-saw!" exclaimed Stitch as he pointed at a cloaked figure hurrying away in the distance.

"What is it, Stitch?" Lilo asked. Then she looked up and saw the cloaked figure, too. "Maya, there's someone over there! Maybe  
>it's the thief!"<p>

Maya jumped out of the cockpit and sprinted after the cloaked stranger, calling "Stop, thief!" Startled, the stranger tried to  
>make a run for it, but he stumbled and fell. Before he was able to get up again, Maya caught up with him.<p>

"Whatever it is, I didn't do it, Miss!" he screamed as Maya grabbed him by the collar of his cloak and yanked  
>him to his feet.<p>

"Do you seriously expect me to believe that bunch of blitznak?" Maya snarled as she dragged the stranger back to the cruiser.  
>"I saw you sneaking away from my ship, plain as day. Now, tell me where you hid our supplies!"<p>

"I'm telling you, I'm innocent!" wailed the stranger as he struggled against Maya's grip on him. Maya was about to punch him  
>in the stomach when Lilo and Stitch caught up with her.<p>

"Maya, wait!" said Lilo. "He's probably not lying. Maybe he's telling the truth."

"Of course I'm telling the truth," the stranger replied. He pulled his hood down to reveal his lizard-like face, with two rhino-like horns on  
>his snout. "An honest Thraxxian like me would never steal from anyone, especially from women and children."<p>

Maya looked at the Thraxxian for a minute. _Maybe Lilo's right,_ she thought, _he doesn't look like he's lying. Maybe he_ is _telling_  
><em>the truth after all.<em>

Sighing, she let go of him.

"Alright, if you didn't steal anything from our ship, what were you doing there?" she asked, speaking in a gentler voice this time.

"Well, I just happened to notice your ship parked where it is now," the Thraxxian explained. "As I went in for a closer look, I  
>noticed that the hyperdrive was broken. I was going to try to fix it - mechanics is my speciality, you see - , but then I saw you three<br>returning and..." He looked down at the ground, blushing. "I guess I got scared and ran away."

"Don't worry, we won't hurt you," Lilo said cheerfully.

"Eh, Stitch friend," added Stitch.

Maya looked down at her feet, then at the Thraxxian. "Ummm...sorry for being so rough with you," she apologized.

The Thraxxian just chuckled. "I forgive you, Miss. That wasn't the first time I was treated like that, and I don't  
>think it'll be the last, either." He snapped his fingers as if he'd just realized something. "Say, I never introduced<br>myself. My name's Spaz."

"Pleased to meet you, Spaz. My name's Amaya, but please just call me Maya. And this is my friend Lilo and her dog, Stitch."

Stitch held out his hand for a handshake. Spaz flinched when he caught sight of the smaller alien's huge claws, but he calmed  
>himself down and reached for Stitch's hand.<p>

"Pleased to meet you all," he said as he and Stitch shook hands. "Now, why don't I get to work fixing up your ship?"

"Oh yes, please," Lilo replied. "Maya says it's kind of urgent that we get to the Vortian border. We're...umm...meeting someone there."

"Okey-dokey, I'm on it!" replied Spaz as he climbed into the cruiser and got to work.

While Lilo and Stitch went to watch Spaz as he fixed the hyperdrive, Maya kept an eye out for anything else that  
>might look suspicious. When she caught sight of that strange metal boot again, her eyes hardened into dark<br>green gems, and her jaw tightened into a fierce scowl.

_Someone is watching us,_ she thought, _and they don't look friendly._

* * *

><p><strong>Author's note: The rest of the story is still under construction, so it may be a while before I post the next chapter. <strong>


	8. Chapter 7: Don't Hit the Panic Button

Kauai, Hawaii, noon...

A huge Federation ship landed on a beach on Kauai, not far from Lilo's house. As soon as the ship landed, one of its doors opened and a metallic ramp lowered itself to the ground. The Grand Councilwoman exited her ship and walked down the ramp, followed by King Shadowfax, Queen Hippodamia, and Lieutenant Le-Sha.

Shortly after all four aliens had set foot on the Earth beach, a black car drove up and parked next to the ship. The car's front left door swung open. Out stepped a huge, brown-skinned man wearing a black suit and sunglasses. He walked over to where the aliens were standing and nodded.

"I assume you, too, received the call?" he asked the Grand Councilwoman.

"As a matter of fact, we did, Cobra," she replied.

"I just can't believe my daughter would deliberately disobey me like that," said Shadowfax. "Sure, she's done some crazy things in the past, but she's never done something this reckless before."

His wife rubbed her sweaty palms together, but remained silent.

Le-Sha took the time to admire her surroundings. "This is a nice planet you have here," she remarked. "Is it always this nice this time of year?"

"Most of the time, yes, it is quite nice," Cobra told her. "However, now is not the time for sight-seeing. We have more important things to take care of."

"Oh, yes, of course," the embarrassed Vortian replied.

* * *

><p>Kokaua Town...<p>

The normally quiet Hawaiian town was now bustling with activity. It seemed like everyone was on a shopping spree that day. People hurried from shop to shop, carrying bags loaded with their purchases. Little children held on to their parents' hands, being careful not to get lost in the crowd. Everyone seemed to be busy that day - too busy, in fact, to pay attention to that green-skinned boy standing by the shave-ice wagon with his little green puppy.

"Look at them, GIR," sneered Zim. "Look at those smelly humans going about their stupid business, blissfully unaware of their impending doom!"

"I like babies!" squealed GIR as a woman pushing two crying babies in a stroller passed by.

Trying to ignore his minion's stupidity, Zim turned his attention back to the crowd of humans. _Ignorant fools,_ he thought, grinning evilly. _Enjoy your freedom while it lasts, for it is only a matter of time_ _before you all become the slaves of the Almighty -_

"Hey you! Why don't you just go back to where you came from and stay there? No one wants you around here."

"Yeah!"

Angered at having his thoughts of glory interrupted, Zim turned to face the person who dared speak to him in such a way. It was a red-haired girl wearing glasses and carrying an annoying barking dog. Three other girls stood behind her, one with blond pigtails, one with dark wavy hair, and the third with short brown hair.

"What are you talking about?" the Irken asked. "Zim is just a normal human worm-baby."

"Don't be silly, I know what you're really are," the red-haired girl sneered. "You're one of Lilo's alien friends, aren't you?"

"But Mertle, isn't Gigi an alien, too?" asked the girl with short hair.

"Quiet, Yuki!" Mertle hissed.

"Ummm...I am normal!" shouted Zim. "Doo dee doo!" He danced a little jig, which earned him a great deal of strange looks from the humans.

GIR started to dance, too. "I'm dancin' like a monkey!" he yelled as he pranced up to Mertle and her friends. Suddenly he dropped down next to Mertle's feet and started spazzing like crazy. The four girls screamed and ran away.

"Yes, run away, you cowards!" Zim shouted after them. "Perhaps next time you will think twice before messing with the Almighty Zim! Mwah ha ha ha!"

When he noticed the strange looks people were giving him, he cleared his throat and added meekly, "I, um, missed my bus."

* * *

><p><em>Knock-knock!<em>

"I'll get it!" shouted Pleakley as he ran to the door. As he opened it, he stepped back to allow the guests to enter.

"Greetings, Agent Pleakley," said the Grand Councilwoman as she entered the house, followed by Cobra Bubbles, Maya's parents, and Lieutenant Le-Sha.

"Nice to see you too, Your Highness," Pleakley mumbled.

Nani came running from the kitchen to see who was there. "Oh, thank goodness, you're here," she said when she noticed Cobra Bubbles and the Grand Councilwoman. "Please, everyone have a seat."

The visitors followed Nani and Pleakley into the living room, where everyone took a seat, except for Shadowfax and Hippodamia, who remained standing.

"Anyone thirsty?" Nani asked. "I made lemonade."

"Sure, I'd love some," replied Le-Sha.

Nani went back into the kitchen and returned with a pitcher and a stack of empty glasses. While she poured everyone a glass of lemonade, Cobra cleared his throat, reminding everyone of the situation that was to be discussed.

"So, your daughter ran off into space, even though you told her to stay here on Earth, am I right?" he asked Shadowfax.

"Yes, sir," the Centauri leader replied.

Cobra then turned his attention to Nani. "And Lilo and Stitch went with her?"

"Yes, they did," said Nani as she handed each guest their glass of lemonade.

"I can't believe Maya would do that," Hippodamia remarked, shaking her head. "This isn't like her. I just can't see her taking a child with her on a dangerous mission into enemy territory."

"I wouldn't worry too much," Jumba told her. "I've always known Amaya to be responsible, so the little girl should be safe with her. And don't forget, 626 is with them, too. They'll be fine."

"How could you say that?" Hippodamia snapped. "There's only three of them, and they're going up against one of the largest and most powerful fleets in our known universe, for crying out loud! And you're telling me 'they'll be fine'?"

"Now, honey..." Shadowfax tried to console his wife.

"Hippodamia, please calm yourself," said the Grand Councilwoman. "Carrying on like that isn't going to help anything."

"She's right," added Pleakley. "Now is really not a good time to hit the panic button."

"What do you think we should do, Cobra?" Nani asked.

"We could wait for Maya to contact us, to tell us how she is doing," Cobra suggested. "Or we could find someone familiar with both the Outer Regions and Irken technology, and arrange to speak with them."

Le-Sha, who had remained quiet throughout the discussion, stood up and walked to the center of the room.

"Perhaps I could help," she announced.


	9. Chapter 8: Connections

**Okay, I have decided I am going to try to update this story at least once a week until it is finished. I'm not making any guarantees, though. **

* * *

><p>Zim stomped angrily through an orchid patch on his way back to his base. He uttered a frustrated yell as he swatted at a bee flying close to his head.<br>"Those filthy earthlings have messed with me for the last time!" he shouted, shaking his fist in the air.

Gir tiptoed quietly behind Zim, being careful not to do or say anything that would anger his master more. Blending in with the humans all morning had  
>made him hungry, and he wanted to get back to the base so that he could make himself a snack.<p>

_Maybe Master would feel better if he had a snack, too,_ the SIR unit thought.

"Oh, how those stinky humans will pay!" Zim continued to scream and pout. "Just they wait until the day they all suffer the wrath of Zim! Then they will  
>regret everyth-"<p>

At this moment, Zim stopped his ranting, for something had caught his attention. It was a medley of soft voices, and they seemed to be coming from that  
>human house up ahead. As curiousity overcame his anger, the Irken sprinted toward the house, with Gir following close behind. As they approached, they<br>slowed down to a tip-toe and sidled up to the nearest open window.

As he crouched beneath the window, Zim reached toward his PAK and slid aside one of the panels on it. Out shot a long, thin wire with a small listening  
>device attached to the end. The wire slid like a snake through the window, into the house, and under a rug, where it wouldn't be seen.<p>

Zim opened another panel on his PAK and pulled out a pair of headphones, which he placed on his head. Now he could hear everything that was being said  
>inside the earth house. He immediately recognized two of the speakers as the Centauri leaders, King Shadowfax and Queen Hippodamia. Another voice sounded<br>suspiciously like Tallest Purple, only whinier. The other voices remained unidentified.

_How dare they impersonate an Irken Tallest like that!_ Zim thought with disgust.

Gir leaned close to his master's headphones so that he could listen, too.

"They don't sound very happy," he said. "They sound like they need waffles real bad!"

"GIR, be quiet, I'm trying to hear!" Zim hissed.

"Okey-dokey!" Gir replied.

Zim continued to listen to the discussion taking place within the house for another twenty minutes. At last, he removed the headphones from his head and  
>pulled the listening device out of the house and back into his PAK. As he stood up, he motioned for Gir, who was playing in a nearby flower bed, to follow him.<p>

"Quickly, Gir! Back to the base to ready the Voot cruiser! We're going after them!"

* * *

><p>"Are you sure this guy can help us?" asked Pleakley.<p>

"Pleakley, be quiet," Nani whispered.

A group was gathered around Lieutenant Le-Sha, who was seated in front of Jumba's computer, typing furiously. Exasperated, the Vortian slammed her fist  
>down on the keyboard.<p>

"I should have known they would do this," she moaned.

"What's wrong?" asked Cobra.

"It appears that the Irkens have established a field around Planet Vort, blocking foreign transmissions," Le-Sha replied.

"Isn't there something we can do about that?" Hippodamia asked.

Jumba suddenly stood up. "Wait, I have something that might help," he announced. He hurried out of the room and returned five minutes later with a small box.

"Just a little something I've been working on," he said as he opened the box and held up a small disc. He then placed the disc into the computer's disc drive.

"What's going on?" asked Shadowfax.

Jumba took a seat at the computer beside Le-Sha. As soon as his disc had loaded, he typed in a command. After pressing 'Enter' he stood up again.

"Try and make a connection now," he told Le-Sha.

Le-Sha obeyed. "Alright, we're in!" she exclaimed when a message appeared on the screen saying 'Connection Successful'.

"Jumba, was that a hacking program you just used?" Nani asked suspiciously.

"Just a little something I was saving for a special occassion," chuckled the self-proclaimed evil genius.

"I should have you thrown in jail for that," commented the Grand Councilwoman, "but since this is an emergency, I will make an exception."

"Who are you trying to contact, Le-Sha?" Cobra asked.

"An old friend and colleague of my late husband's," the Vortian replied. "I think he might have something that can help us find Princess Amaya and her friends."

"I sure hope so," sighed Nani.


	10. Chapter 9: Going After Maya

**A/N: I would like to say thank you to everyone who's been reviewing so far. You guys are awesome!**

* * *

><p>The crowd gathered around Jumba's computer waited anxiously while the computer opened a communication line with Prisoner 777 on Planet Vort.<br>Pleakley twiddled his thumbs, Jumba scratched his head, Nani wrung her hands, Le-Sha drummed her fingers on the keyboard, and Shadowfax patted  
>his nervous wife's shoulder. Cobra and the Grand Councilwoman, however, remained calm. Finally, the line opened, and a depressed Vortian male<br>appeared onscreen.

"What is it this time?" he asked, his back turned to his callers.

"It's me, Le-Sha," Le-Sha replied. "You know, Tor-Shak's wife?"

The prisoner perked up at once and turned around to face the screen. "Le-Sha, it's been a while," he said happily. "How are you doing?"

"Not so good, I'm afraid. We have a problem." Le-Sha gestured toward Shadowfax and Hippodamia, who were standing right behind her. "First, though,  
>allow me to introduce you to the Centauri leaders, King Shadowfax and Queen Hippodamia."<p>

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Your Majesties," said the prisoner, bowing a little. "Now, down to business. What seems to be the problem?"

"Our eldest daughter, Princess Amaya, has run off into the Outer Regions with two of her friends," Shadowfax explained. "Judging by this note she left  
>us, she intends to stop the Irken Armada before they hit our next outpost on the Vortian border. However, we have no idea where to start our search<br>for her, and we would also like to have some idea of where the Armada will strike next."

The prisoner scratched his chin and pondered the situation for a minute. "I think I might have a schematic for an Irken sensor array lying around some-  
>where. You could use one of those to track your daughter's warp signature. As for your second request, I'm pretty sure I heard one of the prison guards<br>say that Planet Thraxx was next on the list. I could be wrong, though."

"Thraxx is our biggest trading partner in the Outer Regions, next to Vort," said Hippodamia. "Does the Irken Empire actually intend to shut down our  
>trading business in the Outer Regions?"<p>

"Probably, if that's what it takes to rid their potential gains of any Federation and Centauri presence," the Grand Councilwoman told her.

Prisoner 777, meanwhile, was seaching through a folder for the schematic he had mentioned. Finally he found what he was looking for.

"Ah-hah, here it is," he said, holding up a disc. "I'll send this to you in a moment." A disc drive appeared in front of him. He placed the disc into the drive  
>and pressed a button marked 'Send'. A few minutes later, the data from the disc appeared onscreen.<p>

Jumba studied the schematic carefully. "It does look a bit more complex than what I'm used to," he remarked, "but I think I can build something like this."

"I know a good place to get the materials we'll need," Le-Sha offered.

Hippodamia turned to Prisoner 777. "Thank you so much for your help. How can we ever repay you?"

"Your thank-you is good enough for me, ma'am," the prisoner replied. "Well, I'd better sign off before the guards notice. Good luck finding your daughter."

With that, he cut the transmission.

* * *

><p>"Get off my head, Gir!" growled Zim.<p>

The SIR unit immediately jumped off Zim's head and climbed into his master's Voot Cruiser. He was about to start playing with the buttons on the control  
>panel when Zim cleared his throat, warning him not to do anything stupid.<p>

"So, why are going into space again?" he asked.

"Because, Gir, my incredible brain meats have concocted yet another brilliant plan," Zim told him. "According to that conversation we listened in on,  
>Princess Amaya of Centauria has taken it upon herself to fight the Irken Armada."<p>

He chuckled. "Who does that foolish girl think she is? Anyway, we are going to follow her and attempt to lure her into a trap. Once I have taken her  
>prisoner, I will hand her over to the Almighty Tallests in exchange for some battle tanks - and maybe some maim bots, too. Then both the humans<br>and the Centauri will be begging for mercy! We'll be killing two birds with one stone!"

Gir grabbed Zim around his waist and squeezed hard. "No! Don't kill the birdies!" he begged.

Zim rolled his eyes. "It's just an expression, Gir," he growled, pushing the SIR unit away from him.

"I had no idea," Gir replied.

The two of them continued to repair the cruiser without saying anything more. Every once in a while, Zim would stop to take a break, but only  
>for a few minutes at a time. Finally, the cruiser was ready for space travel.<p>

Zim and Gir jumped into the cockpit simultaneously. While Gir played around with his favourite rubber piggy, Zim fired up the Voot's engines,  
>grinning evilly.<p>

"Okay, Gir, let's go rain some doom down upon the filthy head of the doomed Centauri princess!" he cackled as the cruiser lifted off and  
>zoomed into the sky.<p>

"Yay, roasty-toasty princess!" Gir chanted, clapping his hands excitedly.

* * *

><p>However, little did Zim know that someone else was watching him the entire time he was concocting his scheme.<p>

"So, Zim, you think you can impress the Tallests by kidnapping the Centauri princess for them?" sneered a voice from behind an abandoned  
>house. "Not if I get to her first!"<p> 


	11. Chapter 10: HogBeast Battle

**Wow, I'm cranking out chapters faster than I thought. Maybe it's because I have more time on my hands than I  
>know what to do with. Anyway, read and review, please. <strong>

* * *

><p>Maya scanned the rocky Thraxxian terrain, looking for signs of danger. Other than an occasional rumble from the geysers,<br>and that strange metal boot, there wasn't anything out of the ordinary. Maya was about to turn around and head back to  
>her cruiser when something caused her to stumble.<p>

"Whoa, what was that?" she asked herself. As she pulled herself back up again, she noticed a huge footprint right in front  
>of her. It looked like a cow's hoof, only much bigger. And there was a whole trail of them leading into a nearby cave.<p>

Shuddering, Maya darted back to her ship, where Lilo and Stitch were waiting for her. Panting and gasping, she asked, "Where's Spaz?"

"He went back to his house to get some fuel for the ship," Lilo told her. "He's already done with the hyperdrive. He also told  
>me and Stitch to stay here until either he or you got back, because there was a space monster called a Hogulus on the loose<br>in this area."

"A Hogulus, eh?" Maya crossed her arms and gazed in the direction from where she just came. "I wonder if that was what  
>made those huge footprints I saw near that cave back there."<p>

"Hog nala queesta!" sneered Stitch, shaking his fist in the direction of the cave.

"Stitch, that's not polite," Lilo scolded.

The trio continued to wait for Spaz's return, and to watch for further signs of danger. Every once in a while, a fierce growl  
>or snarl would come from the cave, but other than that, there was nothing. Finally, a figure could be seen approaching in<br>the distance.

"That must be Spaz," Maya announced.

* * *

><p>Spaz skipped jauntily along the path at the edge of a canyon, carrying a canister of rocket fuel in one arm and various<br>bundles of supplies in the other three. "I sure hope they like my homemade Lobian maggot stew,"he said to himself,  
>"and my Sporkle-berry cookies..."<p>

He continued talking to himself all down the path, failing to pay attention to that gnarled root sticking up from the ground  
>just ahead. He had just spotted Maya's cruiser and was heading straight for it when his foot snagged on the root, tripping<br>him and sending his baggage flying in various directions.

"Whoa!" he screamed as he tumbled into the canyon. As soon as he came to a stop, he shook his head and looked up -  
>right into the face of a snarling, drooling Hogulus!<p>

"HELP!"

* * *

><p>"Oh no, Spaz!" Lilo yelled, jumping out of the cruiser. "Come on, you guys! We've got to help him!" She ran off toward Spaz's screams.<p>

"Lilo, get back here!" Maya yelled. When Lilo did not obey, she rolled her eyes and said, "Come on, Stitch, we'd better go after her."

Stitch jumped on Maya's back, and the two of them took off after Lilo. They found her standing at the edge of a small canyon,  
>throwing rocks at a huge buffalo-like monster with sharp teeth. Cowering in fear at the monster's feet was Spaz.<p>

"No! Leave him alone!" Lilo shouted. She grabbed a sharp-pointed rock and threw it, hitting the Hogulus in one of its six eyes.  
>Bellowing in pain, the Hogulus charged at the canyon wall and slammed into it, creating a tremor that caused Lilo to lose her<br>balance and fall into the canyon, screaming.

"I'm coming, Lilo!" yelled Maya as she and Stitch jumped into the canyon, landing right in front of Spaz. Stitch jumped off Maya's  
>back and landed on the Hogulus's neck, where he started scratching and clawing at the beast's skin. This made the beast very<br>angry, so it started to roll around on the ground, trying to make Stitch let go.

While the Hogulus was distracted, Spaz and Maya hurried over to Lilo,who had landed bottom-first on the canyon floor and  
>was now trying to get up.<p>

"Lilo, are you all right?" asked Maya as she helped her friend to her feet.

"I think so," Lilo replied. "Where are Spaz and Stitch?"

"I'm right here," said Spaz, "but Stitch is still back there with the hog-beast."

"Stay here, you two," Maya commanded. "I'm going back for Stitch."

She hurried back toward the battle between Stitch and the Hogulus. By now, Stitch had scrambled on top of the beast's back  
>and was holding on for dear life, while the beast continued trying to dismember its pint-sized adversary. Grabbing a ladle that<br>must have come from one of Spaz's supply canisters, Maya charged at the Hogulus and whacked it across the rump with all her  
>might. She was about to hit one of its ankles when the beast turned around, grabbed her right hind leg with its mouth, and<br>lifted her off the ground, shaking her quite violently.

"No! Let go!" Maya screamed, whacking the Hogulus's face repeatedly with her ladle, trying to make the beast drop her.  
>The Hogulus, however, didn't pay the slightest bit attention and continued to thrash its prey.<p>

Suddenly, a laser blast came zooming into the canyon and zapped the Hogulus in the belly. The Hogulus let out one last  
>roar of pain, then it fell to the ground, dead.<p>

* * *

><p>"Wow, what was that?" Lilo asked.<p>

"Come on, let's go see," said Spaz, grabbing Lilo by the hand and hurrying toward the dead Hogulus.

* * *

><p>"Are you all right?" a strange male voice asked.<p>

Maya opened her eyes, blinking at the harsh light that assaulted them. "I think so," she moaned. "Owww, my head!  
>What happened?"<p>

"That hog-beast was trying to eat you alive," said the voice. "Don't worry, I got him."

Maya pulled herself to her feet, shaking the remaining dizziness from her head. "Who are you?" she asked.

"No one special," the voice replied."Just consider me an unlikely ally."

As soon as her vision had reclaimed its focus, Maya jumped back, half surprised and half disgusted. Standing  
>in front of her was a green-eyed Irken, clad in those same metal boots she had seen earlier. A SIR unit stood<br>at his side.

"You!" she stammered. "You're...you're Irken!"


	12. Chapter 11: Enter Jet

Zim piloted his Voot cruiser through an asteroid field, staring straight ahead with determination. This was his chance,  
>he thought. The Tallests would be so impressed with him, they wouldn't be able to deny his request for more advanced<br>weapons. The Earth was as good as his now, and both the humans and the Centauri were as good as defeated. New  
>words of praise would have to be created, just for him. Yes, things for sure were going his way!<p>

"Are we there yet?"

Zim scowled. "Gir, that's the fifth time you've asked in an hour," he hissed. "Now be quiet, you're making me lose my  
>concentration."<p>

Gir sat back down in his seat, clutching his rubber pig to his chest. After staring out the window for a few minutes, he  
>decided that he was hungry and pulled a candy bar out of his head. Without bothering to unwrap it, he shoved the<br>entire thing into his mouth.

Zim, meanwhile, kept his eyes on his scanners as they tracked Maya's warp signature. "You can run, but you can't  
>hide, little princess," he sneered, rubbing his hands together gleefully. "No warp signature can escape detection by<br>an Irken sensor array. In just a matter of moments, you will be within the clutches of Zim! Bwa hah hah hah!"

"I sure hope the princess likes piggies," Gir said to himself.

* * *

><p>While Zim continued to boast of his greatness as he followed Maya's trail, he remained completely unaware that he,<br>too, was being followed. Another Irken ship lurked in the shadows of the asteroid field, like a predator stalking its prey.  
>Within its cockpit, a pair of dark, violet eyes studied Zim's ship carefully, never looking away for even one second.<p>

"You're a bigger fool than I remember, Zim," a female voice whispered. "I'll catch that princess first and hand her over to  
>the Tallests if it's the last thing I do." A gloved finger traced over a map on the control panel until it arrived at its desired<br>destination. "Luckily for me, I know a shortcut."

* * *

><p>Grunting and groaning, Stitch pulled himself out from under the dead Hogulus. Except for a few scratches on his back and<br>face, you could hardly tell he'd just been in a fight with a monster at least ninety times his size. It was a good thing Jumba  
>had given him super strength when he created him. Otherwise, he wouldn't have stood a chance!<p>

"Lilo? Maya?" The blue koala-like alien looked around nervously for his friends. His ears perked up when he heard Maya's voice,  
>but he heard another voice, too. It didn't sound very friendly. Growling, Stitch scurried around the giant carcass, following the<br>sound of the voices he just heard. When he arrived at the head, there was Maya, standing face to face with an alien whose  
>species he didn't recognize.<p>

"Grrrraghrr! No touch Maya!" Stitch charged at the strange green man, bristling and snarling. Suddenly, a small, red-eyed robot  
>jumped out from behind the alien, summoning a missile launcher from its head and aiming it at its master's attacker.<p>

"No! Don't hurt him!"

Lilo and Spaz came hurrying down the canyon, panting and sweating. As they approached the Hogulus's head, the robot lowered  
>its missile launcher.<p>

"Don't hurt my dog!" Lilo repeated, throwing herself between Stitch and the alien and his robot.

"Relax, I wasn't going to hurt him," the green-eyed alien chuckled. Turning to his robot, he ordered, "Strike, put that thing away!"

"Yes master, I obey!" the robot replied, drawing the launcher back into its head.

Maya marched angrily toward the green alien, wanting to pound him into mush, but barely restraining herself. "Explain yourself,  
>Irken!" she barked.<p>

"Hey, I just saved you from that hog-beast," the Irken reminded her. "That's no way to say thank you."

"Wait a minute, you're an Irken?" Lilo asked, puzzled. "You don't look like what I thought you would."

The Irken slapped his forehead, trying not to laugh. "Well, yeah. What did you expect us to look like?"

"I thought you guys would look a little more, um, menacing," Spaz piped up. "You know, with razor-sharp teeth and multiple  
>heads and all that other scary stuff."<p>

"Well, sorry to disappoint you, lizard-boy, but all we've got is green skin, jelly-like eyes, and a pair of anntenae, straight in males  
>and curly in females, on our heads."<p>

"Yes, it sure is unbelievable that such innocent-looking buggers are capable of so much destruction," Maya remarked with sarcasm.

"Keep your comments to yourself, Miss Four-Legs," the Irken snipped back. Turning to the others, he added, "By the way, I guess  
>you're all wondering who I am. Invader Jet, at your service!" He stood up straight and saluted.<p>

"Pleased to meet you, Invader Jet," said Lilo. "I'm Lilo, and this is Maya, Stitch, and Spaz." She pointed to each person as she  
>introduced them.<p>

"Just call me Jet, little lady," Jet replied. Turning around, he noticed that something was missing. "Hey, where did Strike run off to?"

"Strike?" Maya asked.

"My SIR unit," Jet explained. "That little robot that was standing next to me. Where did he go?"

"I just saw him climb out of the canyon," said Spaz. "We'd better go after him, just in case he gets into trouble."

The four aliens and one human girl climbed out of the canyon and hurried across the rocky field, following a trail of small, circular  
>footprints that lead them straight back to Maya's cruiser. When they arrived there, they found Strike sitting in the cockpit,<br>tinkering with the cruiser's radio.

"So you're the one who trashed my hyperdrive and stole my fuel and supplies!" Maya hissed indignantly. "Why you tin-headed  
>little vandal!"<p>

She jumped at the SIR unit, who dodged out of her way, causing her to crash into the side of her ship. Strike looked at her for  
>a minute, then walked over to a snickering Jet.<p>

"Yeah, very funny," mumbled Maya as she pulled herself back up again. "I'll get him next time."

"Why don't I refuel your ship now?" Spaz suggested, holding up one of the supply canisters he'd managed to retrieve from  
>the canyon's edge.<p>

"Good idea, Spaz," Maya replied. "In the meantime, I'll start a fire and cook us some supper."

"There's some Lobian maggot stew in the blue canister," Spaz told her. "I made it myself."

Lilo made a disgusted face. "Maggots? Ewwww!"

"Blecchh!" Stitch chorused his disgust.

"Actually, they're delicious," Jet told them. "They taste like mushrooms fried in butter and garlic. Only yummier." He licked his  
>lips with his worm-like tongue, slurping loudly.<p>

"You're gross!" Lilo giggled.

"Am not!"

"Are too!"

"Am not!"

While Spaz refueled the ship, and Lilo continued to argue playfully with Jet, Maya started preparing a spot to build a campfire.  
>Every once in a while, she looked over her shoulder to see what Jet was doing.<p>

_He actually looks pretty trustworthy,_ she thought. _But he's still an Irken._ _I'd better keep an eye on him, just in case._


	13. Chapter 12: Life With The Tallests

**Author's note: This chapter contains some Tallest/OC romance , so proceed with caution. **

* * *

><p>Aboard the Massive (again)...<p>

A crowd gathered around one of the tables in the Tallest's lounge room, watching an arm-wrestling match between Alambil  
>and Tallest Red. Chocolate-brown eyes stared into ruby-red ones, which stared straight back, each pair daring the other to<br>make the first move.

"You give up yet, my Tallest?" Alambil asked cheerfully.

"Not on your life, pony-girl," Red retorted playfully. "They didn't call me 'the King of Iron Wrists' back in the Academy for nothing.  
>You're going down."<p>

"We'll see about that," replied Alambil.

The two opponents clutched each other's wrists tightly, each one trying to force the other's arm down on their side of the table.  
>Alambil licked her lips and narrowed her eyes in intense concentration. Judging by the equally determined look on his face, Tallest<br>Red was by no means fooling around. He would not be an easy one to beat.

The spectators, meanwhile, were taking bets on who would win.

"I bet fifty monies on Tallest Red," said Invader Groot.

"Oh yeah?" sneered Invader El. "Well, I bet seventy monies that Lady Alambil wins by catching the Tallest off guard."

"You're on!" retorted Groot.

Red clenched his teeth and tried to force Alambil's arm down, but it wouldn't budge. Alambil found Red's arm to be equally stubborn.  
>Obviously, no one was going to win unless someone looked away, and neither Red nor Alambil was willing to risk that.<p>

Suddenly, Head Communications Officer Zarthab burst into the room, panting. "We have an incomming transmission from an unknown  
>location, my Tallest!" he announced.<p>

Red and Alambil both jumped in surprise at Zarthab's sudden announcement, causing the latter to unintentionally slam the former's  
>arm down quite forcefully on the table.<p>

"Time to pay up, Groot," El triumphantly announced.

Groot reluctantly pulled out his wallet and counted the money into El's hand, grumbling about how life just wasn't fair.

"I'm so sorry about that, my Tallest," Alambil apologized as she watched Red cradle his injured wrist. "I didn't mean to slam you down  
>so hard."<p>

"Just consider yourself lucky that I was wearing my wristguards, Billie," Red told her. "Otherwise, it could have been worse, for both of us."

"My Tallest, the transmission," Zarthab reminded his leader.

"Oh, yeah, I'm coming," said Red. "And just for the record, Zarthab, please knock before entering."

"Yes, my Tallest," Zarthab replied as he and Red headed up to the bridge, while Alambil headed down to the Tallests' living quarters to fetch  
>Tallest Purple.<p>

* * *

><p>"How are you doing today, Sheen?" Purple asked his sick daughter as he sat down on the edge of her bed and felt her forehead.<p>

"How do you think I'm doing?" croaked the mauve-eyed Irken princess. "My squeedily-spooch is cramping, my throat itches, and I'm  
>sweating like a Hogulus. I feel terrible."<p>

"My Tallest, you really should get back to your duties," said the doctor who was looking after Sheen and her mother. "I'll take care of your  
>wife and daughter."<p>

Purple gave the doctor a look that told him to be quiet. "You will do no more than what I tell you," he said sternly. After feeling Sheen's  
>forehead one more time, he got up and hovered to the door.<p>

"I'm going to go check on my wife now," he told the doctor. "If Sheen needs anything, let me know, and I will get it for her. Got it?"

"Yes, my Tallest," mumbled the doctor.

Purple headed down the hallway to his sleeping quarters and quietly opened the door. "You alright, Gem?" he asked as he hovered  
>over to the bed where his wife was resting.<p>

"I'm fine, Pur," Gem replied, "and so are the smeets." She placed her hand on her swollen belly, eyeing her husband critically.  
>"Why aren't you upstairs helping Red?"<p>

Before Purple could answer her question, Alambil entered the room.

"Please excuse me," she said, "but we've got a message coming from an unidentified location. Just to let you know."

Purple sighed. "I'd better go see who it is," he told Gem. "Call me if either you or Sheen need anything."

* * *

><p>"Greetings, my Tallests," said Zim as he appeared on screen.<p>

"Yeah, Zim, what is it now?" asked Red as he fiddled around with his little boxing puppet.

"I am calling you to tell you of my latest plan," Zim replied, grinning. "Back on Earth, I heard that Princess Amaya of Centauria  
>somehow got it into her puny brain that she could take on the Armada by herself. Can you imagine?"<p>

Red and Purple exchanged dumbfounded looks.

"Anyway," Zim continued, "I am following her warp trail now, and it seems to be leading to Planet Thraxx. Once I arrive  
>there, I will set up a trap and lure her into it. Once I capture her, I will deliver her to you to do whatever you please with<br>her."

"That sounds great, Zim," said Purple. "Call back when you have her."

"Thank you, my Tallests. Invader Zim, signing off."

As soon as the transmission ended, Red and Purple both burst out laughing.

"I can't decide who is dumber, Zim or that Centauri girl!" Purple wheezed.

"Oh, definitely Zim, by a long shot!" gasped Red. Suddenly, he stopped laughing.

"Wait a minute, Zim mentioned Planet Thraxx, right?" he asked Purple.

"Yeah, why?" asked Purple.

"I just remembered. The Invader we sent to Planet Thraxx - I forgot his name - hasn't been contacting us lately. And when  
>we try to contact him, he doesn't answer. I wonder what's going on with that guy?"<p>

"Only one way to find out." Purple turned to the Massive's pilots.

"Planet Thraxx, and step on it!" he ordered.


	14. Chapter 13: Ready For TakeOff

"Pass me that screwdriver, please," said Jumba, holding out his hand. Pleakley retrieved the requested item  
>and handed it to Jumba, who thanked him and returned to his work at the kitchen table.<p>

"So, what is this thing, anyway?" Pleakley asked, squinting his eye at the saucer-shaped item Jumba was  
>working on.<p>

"It's an Irken sensor array," Le-Sha explained, "one of the finest pieces of tracking equipment in existence.  
>And need I say it was actually based off a Vortian concept? Most of Irken technology is, anyway."<p>

Pleakley's eye widened in amazement. "Wow, really?"

Le-Sha nodded. "For some reason, my people have always had a knack for military research," she said softly.  
>"I kind of wish they didn't, though. Then maybe the Irken Empire wouldn't have taken advantage of us." She<br>buried her face in her hands and started to cry.

"Oh," Pleakely whispered, feeling sorry for the unhappy Vortian. _It must be terrible to lose your homeworld like that,_  
>he thought, <em>especially to someone you once befriended and trusted.<em>

Shadowfax came into the kitchen to check on Jumba's progress. "What's wrong?" he asked when he noticed that  
>Le-Sha was crying.<p>

Le-Sha looked up at him. "I wish my species wasn't so gifted in military research," she blurted out. "Everything  
>would be so much better off if we weren't."<p>

Shadowfax stepped forward and placed his hand on the depressed Vortian's shoulder. "Don't say that, Le-Sha,"  
>he said gently but firmly. "Vort's knowledge of Irken technology has been an invaluable source of help to the Centauri<br>during this war. Thanks to the information your people provided mine, we now know our enemy that much better."

"Yes, but it still didn't keep the Irkens from conquering and enslaving my homeworld," said Le-Sha as she wiped tears  
>from her eyes.<p>

"All is not lost, Le-Sha," Shadowfax told her. "They may have taken your planet, but they could never take your determination  
>to be free again. As long as we continue to try, we still have a chance."<p>

Le-Sha was silent for a few minutes. Finally, she stood up and dried her tears with a flowered handkerchief she pulled out of  
>her pocket.<p>

"You're right, King Shadowfax," she said. "It's not over yet." She hurried over to the kitchen table and picked up a wrench.  
>"Need some help, Dr. Jumba?"<p>

* * *

><p>By mid-afternoon that day, the sensor array was finished and ready to be installed into Jumba and Pleakley's ship.<p>

"Oh, I hope we're not too late," said an anxious Hippodamia as she watched Jumba and Le-Sha install the device. "What  
>if the Irken Armada finds Maya before we do?"<p>

"You worry too much, dear," said her husband. "In case you've forgotten, Thraxx and Vort are about a three-days' journey  
>apart. And let's not forget all the detours the Irken Armada tends to take."<p>

Hippodamia laughed nervously. "Perhaps you're right, honey,"  
>she replied. "Maybe I do worry too much."<p>

Jumba plugged three more wires from the ship's console into the sensor. "Okay, I think that should do it," he told Le-Sha.  
>"Try it now."<p>

Le-Sha typed a command into the ship's computer, then she pressed a button on the ship's console. A screen just to the  
>right of the steering wheel flashed on and off several times, then went completely blank. Just when disappointment was<br>about to flood the group, the screen flashed on again and remained that way.

"Yay, it works!" Pleakley squealed, clapping his hands excitedly.

Jumba got up and took a seat in the pilot's chair. He turned around to face everyone standing behind him. "Now, who will  
>come and who will stay?" he asked. When nobody replied, he chuckled and added, "Well, then, I guess we're all going."<p>

Pleakley jumped into a nearby closet, then jumped back out a few minutes later, dressed as an airline steward.

"Alright then," he announced. "Hello and welcome aboard Intergalactic Flight 626 to the Outer Regions. Before we take off,  
>does anyone need to use the rest room?"<p>

No one answered.

"Um, okay then. Well, in that case, everyone fasten your seatbelts and make sure the backs of your seats are in the upright  
>and locked position, your tray table is put away, and all carry-on items are securely stowed. Thank you and enjoy your flight."<p>

"Is he always this...wacky?" Hippodamia whispered to Nani as she fastened her seat belt.

"You have no idea," Nani whispered back.

As soon as all the passengers had buckled up, Pleakley marched into the ship's cockpit, where Jumba and Le-Sha were seated  
>in the pilot and co-pilot chairs, respectively. "Alright, guys, let's fire her up."<p>

Jumba stuck the keys into the ignition and turned it on. The engine roared to life, creating a tremor that shook the whole ship.

Le-Sha checked her instruments on the control panel. "All systems are go, guys," she announced after deciding that everything was  
>working properly.<p>

"Alright, is showtime!" Jumba bellowed happily as he grabbed the throttle and pulled it back.

The ship slowly rose a few feet off the ground, then it zoomed upward into the evening sky, past the atmosphere, past the moon,  
>and into the blackness of space.<p>

* * *

><p><strong>Alright, the rescue party is on it's way! Read and review, please, or Stitch will eat your donuts!<strong>


	15. Chapter 14: Dinner And An Ambush

Zim stepped out of his Voot cruiser, surveying his surroundings with caution. Although Thraxx wasn't exactly the  
>most dangerous planet known to Irkenity, it wasn't exactly the safest either. Zim remembered a story from his<br>smeethood about an Irken Elite soldier who spent time on Thraxx. That story did not have a happy ending.

Gir tiptoed quietly behind his master, being careful not to make any sudden noises. Every once in a while, he  
>would wander off to admire a shiny pink rock or a geyser spouting a beautiful lavender mist, but when Zim<br>cleared his throat, he would come trotting right back.

"Ooooh, it's shiny!" the SIR unit whispered as he picked up a sparkling yellow crystal he found lying in the dirt.

"Gir, put that back!" Zim hissed. "That could be a dangerous mineral that causes SIR units to malfunction, or  
>an Irken's squeedily-spooch to swell and explode."<p>

"It's so pretty." Gir held up his crystal, completely mesmerized by the way the sunlight reflected off its surface.  
>"I hope the Centauri princess likes this."<p>

Zim rolled his eyes. "Gir, we're here to capture the Centauri princess and take her prisoner, not to offer her gifts!"  
>he growled. "Now get over here and help me set up the trap!" He pulled out his computerized doodle pad and began<br>to sketch the blueprints for his trap.

Gir put the yellow crystal inside his head for safe-keeping. As he walked over to Zim to help set up his trap, something  
>in the distance caught his eye. As he turned his head to look, he saw that it was a SIR unit with a large, three-fingered<br>claw for a right hand.

"Hey, it's Mimi," he exclaimed. "Hi, Mimi!"

"Mimi?" Zim jumped to his feet and turned around just in time to see the SIR unit vanish behind the rocks from where it  
>was spying on him.<p>

_Wait a minute!_ the Irken thought. _If that really was Mimi I just saw, that can only mean one thing..._

_Tak!_

* * *

><p>Tak tiptoed quietly along the canyon floor, squinting her dark purple eyes against the harsh light of the Thraxxian sun.<br>Placing her hand against her forehead to shield her eyes, she studied her surroundings carefully, looking for signs of  
>earlier activity in the area. She was about to kneel to the ground to inspect a suspicious looking footprint when a horrible<br>stench assaulted her smelling organ.

"Ugh!" Tak bent over and clutched at her belly, fighting the urge to throw up. _Irk!_ That smell was awful! Was there a dead  
>animal rotting somewhere?<p>

The Irken female pulled herself up and dragged herself toward the source of the smell, trying not to gag. When she arrived  
>at the canyon's widest spot, she steadied herself against the canyon wall to keep herself from fainting.<p>

There, in front of her, was a dead Hogulus. Even though it didn't look like it had been dead for very long, it was already starting  
>to give off the foul smell of decaying flesh. Eyes tearing from the powerful stench of the carcass, Tak pulled a bandana out of her<br>PAK and tied it around the lower half of her face. Now she could inspect the area around the carcass without being bothered by  
>the smell.<p>

"Now, where did Mimi run off to?" the Irken asked herself. Turning her head toward the sound of clanking metal, she spotted the  
>claw-handed SIR unit rocketing toward her at full speed.<p>

Stopping suddenly at her master's feet, Mimi saluted.

"Please forgive me for wandering away, Mistress," she said, "but I bring news. Invader Zim has arrived, and he is now building a  
>trap for the Centauri princess."<p>

"So he's finally arrived," Tak mused aloud. "Well, now things will certainly get more interesting." She knelt to the ground to inspect  
>a trail of footprints leading away from the dead Hogulus and out of the canyon. Her eyes narrowed when she noticed a pale blue<br>stain next to the trail.

"Mimi, run a scan on this," she ordered, pointing at the stain.

A seachlight-like device popped out of Mimi's head and cast a beam of red light upon the stain. After five minutes, the SIR unit drew  
>the scanner back into her head.<p>

"It appears to be Centauri blood, Mistress," she explained. "Most likely Princess Amaya's. However, there are traces of other alien  
>DNA in the area, too."<p>

"What kind?" asked Tak.

"Human, Thraxxian, Irken, and one more kind that remains unidentified," Mimi replied.

"So the princess must be travelling with a group," Tak remarked. "But why is there an Irken in the group? Unless..."

Her eyes narrowed in disgust.

"Come, Mimi. It appears we have a traitor to dispose of."

* * *

><p>"Anyone for seconds?" asked Spaz, holding out a steaming pot of stew.<p>

"I'll take some more, please!" Lilo replied as she held out her bowl for him.

"You sure?" Jet asked her. "Just a few minutes ago, you were complaining about how gross the maggots were."

"Are you kidding? The maggots are the best part!" As soon as her bowl was refilled, Lilo took a spoonful of stew and gulped it  
>down. "Wait till Mertle Edmonds hears about this!"<p>

The group was gathered around a campfire, eating supper and chatting with each other. Spaz entertained the others with stories  
>and jokes he'd heard from his friends and relatives, while Stitch tried to sneak some dessert from one of Spaz's supply canisters.<br>Strike caught him and zapped him with a cattle prod. The two started to wrestle, while Lilo laughed at their antics.

Maya, meanwhile, kept looking suspiciously at Jet, as if trying to make sure he wasn't planning anything shifty.

"Okay, who wants dessert?" Spaz got up and walked toward the canister Stitch and Strike were fighting over. "Hey, taking it easy  
>boys," he chuckled as he removed the canister from their grasp. "There's plenty to go around."<p>

Stitch was about to jump up and snatch the canister back when Strike grabbed him and held him down. The koala-like alien struggled  
>and thrashed, but the SIR unit refused to release him until Spaz had given the others their desserts.<p>

"This is an interesting cookie," Maya remarked, turning hers over for inspection. "I wonder what these sticky purple blobs in them are."

"Those are Sporkle-berries," Spaz explained. "They only grow in the Southwestern quarter of this planet, and they're expensive to ship,  
>so they're a rare treat in this area."<p>

Lilo took a big bite out of her cookie. "Mmmm, they taste like marshmallows," she remarked.

Jet did not eat his cookie. Instead, he put it away in his PAK and stared at his feet, wringing his hands nervously.

"You alright, Jet?" Lilo asked when she noticed how uneasy the Irken looked.

"No, I'm fine," Jet told her. "It's just that...it's getting late. I should probably go home now." He stood up and brushed the dirt off his  
>knees. "Come on, Strike, let's go."<p>

Strike jumped to his feet and followed his master out of the campsite.

"Wait a minute," Maya called after Jet. "Are you sure you'll be alright by yourself? Maybe you should spend the night with us."

"I'll be alright," Jet called back. "Goodbye, everyone, and thanks for having me over for dinner."

"Goodbye, and thank you for saving us from that Hogbeast," Maya replied. She turned back to the others to find Spaz snickering.

"What's so funny?" she asked.

"You like that guy, don't you?" teased Spaz.

Maya blushed. "What? No, I don't! For one thing, he's an Irken, and I hate all Irkens. We just don't go together."

"Uh-huh, sure," Spaz replied. "I saw the way you were looking at him."

"I was just making sure he wasn't going to shoot us through our heads or something."

"Heh heh, yeah right." As he cleaned up the remains of dinner, Spaz began to whistle a romantic tune, which caused Maya to stomp off  
>in a huff.<p>

* * *

><p>When he arrived at the edge of the canyon, Jet stopped to look back at the campsite. He raised his right hand to scratch himself behind<br>the antennae.

_She's actually not half bad for a girl,_ he thought, _and a Centauri at that. I have to admit, she's pretty darn spunky._

"Is something wrong, Master?" asked Strike, interrupting his thoughts.

Jet blushed. "No, Strike, it's nothing. Nothing at all."

He was about to continue on his way when he was suddenly grabbed by his left arm and pulled into a dark corner. Before he could catch  
>his breath, someone shoved him against a wall and held him there, pointing a gun at his head.<p>

"You traitor!" a familiar voice hissed.

"Get off of me, Tak!" growled Jet as he struggled against his captor's grip. "I didn't do anything!"

"Don't bother lying about it," snapped Tak. "You were helping a certain Centauri girl, and I have evidence." She pulled a computerized clip-board  
>out of her PAK and pressed a button on its lower right corner. "According to my findings in that canyon back there, your footprints and hers were<br>found in the same area. A scan on the footprints showed that they were the same age, meaning that the two of you were in the area at the same  
>time. Except for the debris from the fight with the Hogulus, there were no signs of a struggle between the two of you, which can only point to<br>one thing - instead of capturing her when you had the chance, you helped her escape!"

Jet's eyes widened in shock. There was no way he was going to wiggle out of this one. Assisting an enemy in any way was considered treason  
>to the Empire, and the only known penalty for that was death by de-activation. His PAK would be removed and erased, and he would die within<br>ten minutes of its removal.

Tak immediately guessed what Jet was thinking. "That's right, Jet, it's over for you!" she sneered, pulling Jet to his feet. "Or is it? If you will  
>co-operate and lead me to that Centauri girl, I won't tell the Tallests of your treachery. However, if you refuse...I'd hate to think about what<br>would happen then, wouldn't you?"

Jet closed his eyes and carefully considered his options. If he refused, Tak would no doubt turn him in, and he would be executed for aiding the  
>enemy. However, if he accepted, he would be spared, but Maya and her friends would be doomed. It was an obvious choice between his life and<br>theirs. Either way, someone would lose.

_There must be something I can do,_ he thought. _But what?_

"Well, Jet?" Tak growled impatiently.

Jet opened his eyes and stood up, looking straight at her.

"Tak, you've got yourself a deal."


	16. Chapter 15: It's A Trap!

"I wonder why Maya is so upset," said Lilo as she helped Spaz wash and dry the dishes from dinner in a small pond.

Spaz rolled his eyes. "Oh, she just doesn't want to admit the obvious. Females!" He grabbed another bowl and plunged  
>it into the water, scrubbing it as hard as he could to ease his frustration.<p>

"What's so obvious that she doesn't want to admit?" Lilo asked. "Is it something to do with her and Jet?"

Spaz blushed. "Um, yes, but it's really something you should wait until you're older to hear about," he replied nervously.

Lilo just giggled. "That's alright, I think I already know what you're talking about."

Spaz gasped in horror. "Y-you do?" he stammered. "Why, you and your dirty little mind!" He grabbed a towel and playfully  
>swatted at Lilo with it.<p>

Lilo laughed as she dodged out of the way of Spaz's towel. _Boy, Spaz is a lot like Pleakley,_ she thought. Suddenly, she stopped  
>laughing and sat down on the ground, hugging her knees.<p>

"Lilo, what's wrong?" Spaz asked. "I didn't swat you too hard, did I?"

"No, that's not it," Lilo replied. "I was thinking about how you reminded me of one of my friends back home, and I guess I started  
>feeling homesick." She sniffled and rubbed the tears from her eyes.<p>

Spaz sighed and sat down next to her. "It's okay to feel homesick, sweetheart," he said gently. "It happens to lots of people when  
>they're away from home. Trust me, I know what it's like." He closed his eyes and remembered his own family and his hometown.<br>A tear slid down his cheek as he thought about how much he missed them.

_Will I ever see them again?_ he wondered.

His thoughts were soon interrupted when Strike came rocketing into the camp, screaming like a siren.

"I require your assistance!" he said as he landed in front of Lilo and Spaz. "My master has been captured. Please help me rescue  
>him!"<p>

Spaz jumped to his feet. "Hang on, we'll be there shortly!" he said. Turning to Lilo, he added, "Lilo, go get Maya and Stitch! Tell them  
>Jet's in trouble! Hurry!"<p>

* * *

><p><em>Me ...in love with ...him? ...A Centauri and an Irken? In love? ...You've got to be joking! I mean, that's just stupid! It's stupid stupid!<em>

Maya scowled as she paced back and forth in front of an inactive geyser, thinking about what Spaz had said earlier. There was  
>absolutely no way she was falling in love with Jet. Her parents would never allow it! And besides, Jet probably had a reputation<br>to keep with his leaders and fellow Irkens. He did not need a forbidden romance to ruin it.

But she just couldn't forget him. Everytime she closed her eyes, she saw Jet's face in her mind. _Those long, skinny legs... those_  
><em>jade-green eyes... that mischievious, zipper-toothed grin... the way he blushed every time he scratched himself behind his antennae...<em>

With an enraged scream, Maya kicked viciously at the ground, as if trying to frighten those disturbing thoughts from her brain.  
>But as soon as she calmed down, they came right back. Depressed and frustrated, she buried her face in her hands and sobbed.<p>

Stich had been watching Maya the whole time she was fussing and fuming about Spaz's comment. He was about to go and comfort  
>her when he noticed a rubber pig lying on the ground a few feet away. As he walked up to it, the smell of freshly baked coconut<br>cupcakes assaulted his nose, causing his mouth to water. Babbling excitedly, he began to follow the smell.

Maya noticed the smell, too. "Stitch, where are you going?" she asked as she got up and followed the little blue alien down a  
>strange, dark path. When she saw the rubber pig Stitch had found, she picked it up and inspected it closely.<p>

"What's this thing doing out here?" she asked herself. As she turned the pig over in her hands, she noticed an Irken symbol on  
>its back. Her eyes widened as she stared at the symbol. Suddenly, two and two came together in her mind!<p>

Maya threw the pig to the ground and bolted after Stitch, who was now standing in front of a plate loaded with coconut cupcakes,  
>saliva dripping from his smiling mouth.<p>

"No, Stitch!" Maya screamed, waving her arms frantically. "It's a trap! Don't fall for it!"

Stitch, mesmerized by the delicious cupcakes before him, ignored her. He slowly reached out his hand to take one...

"No! Stop!" With all the strength she could muster, Maya sprang forward, grabbed Stitch's arm, and yanked him away before he  
>could touch the cupcakes, which were actually a hologram. As Maya and Stitch turned back to look, the cupcake hologram flickered<br>a few times, then disappeared completely. Suddenly, a force field appeared around the area where the hologram had been.

An obviously malfunctioning SIR unit sprung out from his hiding place behind a large rock. "Hi, Princess," he squealed, waving at the  
>two surprised aliens. "My master wants to take you prisoner."<p>

Maya frowned. "Um, yeah, maybe some other time," she replied. "Come on, Stitch, let's get out of here."

Before the SIR unit could protest, Stitch jumped up on Maya's back, and the two of them sprinted away, leaving nothing but footprints.

* * *

><p>Zim was taking a nap in the cockpit of his Voot cruiser when an alarm woke him up. He immediately sat up and checked to see what<br>was going on. When he noticed that the trap had been sprung, he eagerly jumped out of the cruiser and raced toward the site where  
>the trap had been set, laughing like a maniac<p>

"Prepare to meet your doom, Your Highness!" he shouted as he arrived in the area. "You can beg all you want, but you'll get no mercy  
>from Zim! Mwah ha ha hah!"<p>

As he paused his evil laugh to take a breath, Zim noticed that the force field that should have trapped Maya within it was empty.

"Gir, what happened?" he demanded. "Where is Princess Amaya?"

"Oh, she left a few minutes ago," Gir replied. "She didn't want to be your prisoner today, so she said she'd come back some other time."

Zim's face darkened with anger. "You let her escape?" he shrieked. "How could you be so stupid?" He fell to the ground on his knees.  
>"The Tallests expect me to ship her to them tonight, and we still don't have her! They'll never forgive me for this!"<p>

"I know where she went," said Gir. "She went that way." He pointed at the trail of footprints Maya had left. "I hope she didn't go too  
>far. Her little blue friend took my taquitos."<p>

Zim jumped to his feet and pointed excitedly at Maya's footprints. "Look, Gir, she left a trail for us to follow!" he exclaimed happily.  
>"What a foolish little girl she is. Quickly, Gir, into the Voot cruiser! We might still have time to catch her."<p>

"We're gonna play with the princess!" Gir squealed, clapping his hands with glee.

Zim just glared at him.

* * *

><p>Jet trudged slowly back to Maya's camp, followed by Tak and Mimi. He fiddled nervously with the collar of his uniform, which was<br>now drenched with his sweat.

_What am I going to do?_ he thought. _There must be some way out of this pickle. I wonder where Strike ran off to..._

"Get moving, slow poke!" snapped Tak as she jabbed her prisoner's back with the muzzle of her gun. "I haven't got all day!"

Trying to ignore the pain she was causing him, Jet stood up straight and continued to lead his captors to the camp where he'd just  
>been an hour ago. When they arrived there, the area was deserted, except for Maya's ship.<p>

Mimi ran a scan on the campsite to check for anyone that might be hiding in the area. "Mistress, there are no signs of life in this area,"  
>she told her master when the scan was finished.<p>

Enraged, Tak spun around and slapped Jet across the face, causing him to stumble backwards and fall on his bottom. "You liar!" she  
>yelled. "You said they'd be here! Where are they?"<p>

"I don't know," Jet replied, holding his hand to his cheek. "But I swear this is where I saw them last."

Tak marched angrily toward him, ready to pound him into the dirt. Before she could reach him, the area was suddenly flooded with a  
>bright light.<p>

"Stop right where you are, Irken scum!" thundered a voice that sounded like it was speaking through a megaphone. "No one hurts our  
>friend Jet and gets away with it!"<p>

"What in Irk's name?" Tak threw her hands in front of her face to protect her eyes from the sudden light.

Jet sat up and looked around, a confused look on his face. "Spaz?"


	17. Chapter 16: How Not To Catch A Centauri

**To all Irken smeets learning how to capture a Centauri: Don't try this at home!**

* * *

><p>Lilo ran down the path to the canyon as fast as her stumpy little legs could carry her. As she ran, she called<br>for Stitch and Maya, but the only answer she got were her own echoes.

"Stitch!" she called, getting discouraged. "Maya!"

Just as she stopped running to catch her breath, she noticed two figures in the distance approaching her. It  
>was Stitch and Maya!<p>

"Guys, over here!" she yelled, waving her arms to attract their attention. Maya slowed down gradually as she  
>approached, then came to a complete stop next to Lilo.<p>

"Lilo!" Stitch scrambled down from Maya's back and threw his arms around Lilo, embracing her in a warm bear  
>hug.<p>

"Stop it, Stitch, you're hugging me to death," Lilo giggled as she squirmed out of Stitch's grasp.

"Sorry," Stitch apologized.

"What are you doing out here, Lilo?" Maya asked. "And where is Spaz?"

"Strike came back to the camp and told us that Jet's in trouble," Lilo explained. "He and Spaz went on ahead to  
>help him, and they sent me to find you and Stitch."<p>

Maya's eyes widened. "Jet's in trouble? What happened?"

"I don't know," Lilo replied, "but it's sounds urgent. We've got to go help him."

"Eh!" Stitch added. "Jet help us, now we help Jet."

Maya thought about it for a minute. "You guys are right," she said. "It's the least we could do to pay him back  
>for saving us from that Hog-beast. Let's go."<p>

Just as she knelt to allow Lilo and Stitch to climb up on her back, she noticed two shining lights in the distance.  
>They seemed to be getting bigger. <em>What in the world...?<em> she thought. Suddenly it hit her. Those lights belonged  
>to an Irken Voot cruiser...and it was heading straight for her!<p>

"Hold on tight, you two!" Maya yelled to her passengers. "It's going to be a bumpy ride!"

She took a deep breath and sprang forward like a gazelle. As soon as her feet touched the ground again, she  
>started galloping wildly across the plain like never before. On her back, Lilo and Stitch held on to each other<br>tightly, screaming more from excitement than from fright.

"Yee-haw!" Lilo shouted. "Now I know how it feels to be a cowboy!"

* * *

><p>Zim narrowed his eyes and clenched his teeth as he flew his Voot cruiser, trying to stay on Maya's trail. He<br>should have known this wouldn't be easy! Every time he got close enough to use his tractor beam to pull  
>Maya in, the Centauri would kick up a sizeable cloud of dust, which clouded up his windshield and caused<br>his instruments to flicker on and off for a few minutes.

"She's more persistent than I thought," Zim remarked to himself. "But she is still no match for my incredible  
>brain meats!" He turned to Gir, who was sitting in the passenger seat, eating gummy worms. "Gir, take control<br>of the Voot while I go outside and tie this cord around her middle." He held up a long cord attatched to a device  
>that resembled a giant spool of thread. "When I say 'Now', you reel us both back in. Got it?"<p>

Gir switched to duty mode and saluted. "Yes, sir!" He then jumped into the pilot's seat and grabbed the steering  
>wheel from his master.<p>

Zim opened a window and climbed on top of the Voot, squinting his eyes against the rushing wind created by  
>the Voot's speed. He stood up shakily and prepared to jump, watching Maya while he did this. As soon as he<br>was ready, he took a deep breath and sprang forward into the air, landing on Maya's back.

Just as Zim's feet touched her back, Maya screamed and reared up on her hind legs, trying to throw off her  
>attacker. Lilo grabbed hold of the clothing covering Maya's back and held on for dear life, while Stitch jumped<br>on Zim's back, bristling and snarling.

"No touch Maya!" he growled as he swiped his claws along the back of Zim's head.

"Nooooooooo! The pain!" Zim screamed as he tried to swat Stitch away with one hand and loop the cord around  
>Maya's middle with the other. But with Stitch scratching at his head and antennae, and with Maya trying to buck<br>him off, he would have had better luck trying to make water stand up. And that human girl pulling on his leg was  
>only adding to his misery.<p>

"No! Let go of her!" Lilo grabbed Zim's left leg and pinched his thigh as hard as she could. Yelling in agony, the  
>Irken tried to shake her off, but she held on tight.<p>

After several rounds of screaming and thrashing, Zim finally managed to tie his cord around Maya's middle. "Now,  
>Gir!" he shouted. "Reel us in!"<p>

"Yes, sir!" Gir pressed a button on the control panel, and the giant spool began to spin, winding the cord around  
>itself and lifting Maya, riders and all, right off the ground.<p>

"No! Put us down!" Maya screamed. She kicked and thrashed in an effort to break the cord that connected her to  
>Zim's Voot cruiser, while Lilo and Stitch held on to her.<p>

"I'm afraid I can't do that, Your Highness," sneered Zim, who was clutching the cord in one hand and the collar of  
>Maya's shirt in the other. "You see, the Almighty Tallests promised me they would pay me handsomely if I delivered<br>you to them alive and unharmed, and I'm not about to disappoint them." He slid a finger under her chin and tipped  
>her head up so that the two of them made eye contact. "But don't worry, little princess. If you just come quietly, I'm<br>sure no harm will come to you or your little friends."

Maya's anger boiled over. "PUT...US...DOWN!" she snarled. She then grabbed the cord and began to swing back and  
>forth violently on it. This caused the Voot to veer suddenly to the left, then to the right, then left again.<p>

"Stop that at once!" Zim commanded.

Gir opened the bottom hatch and looked down to see what was going on. "Aww, you wanna swing?" he asked.  
>"Okey-dokey!" He jumped back into the pilot's seat and began to drive in a reckless and out of control manner.<p>

"No, Gir!" yelled Zim. "Stop swinging!" He grabbed the cord and held on for dear life, while Lilo, Stitch, and Maya  
>laughed and squealed with delight, enjoying their ride.<p>

* * *

><p>"Hang on, Jet, we'll save you!"<p>

Spaz and Strike dashed into the campsite, followed by four other Thraxxians, each of whom carried a metallic spear. They  
>gathered in a circle around Jet to keep Tak and Mimi away from him.<p>

"Don't touch him, slimeball!" growled Spaz as he thrust his spear at Tak.

Tak just shook her head. "You Thraxxians make me sick," she sneered. "Do you seriously think you can win here, just because  
>there are more of you?" She cackled maniacally. "Well, it just so happens I have a few tricks of my own! Mimi, attack!"<p>

Mimi lunged at the Thraxxians, waving her claw above her head in a menacing fashion. Strike stepped forward, aiming his  
>missile launcher at her head. Before he had a chance to fire it, Mimi suddenly grabbed his foot with her claw, lifted him off<br>the ground, and threw him at Maya's ship.

"Now what do we do?" one of the Thraxxians whispered nervously.

Mimi charged at the Thraxxians once more, banging her claw against the ground with every step she took toward them.  
>Spaz stepped forward and prepared to stab his attacker with his spear, but she snatched it away and broke it in half.<p>

Jet got up and pushed his way out of the ring of Thraxxians. "I don't want to fight you, Tak," he said, clenching his fists.  
>"But I will if you try to hurt my friends."<p>

Tak snorted. "I always knew you were different, Jet. You were never like the rest of us. You always hesitated to follow  
>certain commands, you often questioned the integrity of Irken knowledge, once you even talked back to a Tallest, and<br>now you're siding with the people you were sent to conquer. Why do you do these things?"

"I don't know," Jet replied. "But something inside me told me to do the right thing, so that's what I did."

Tak narrowed her eyes. "Fine, have it your way." She deployed her robotic spider legs from her PAK and got into a  
>fighting stance. "Now, prepare to die like the traitorous scum you are!"<p>

"You asked for it, Tak!" growled Jet as he, too, deployed his spider legs.

The two Irkens yelled as they charged at each other, stabbing at each other with their mechanical legs. Meanwhile,  
>Strike and the Thraxxians continued trying to fend off Mimi. Everyone was occupied with the battle at hand, completely<br>unaware of the out-of-control Voot cruiser that was rapidly approaching - with three aliens and a human child hanging  
>from under it!<p>

"Incomming!" screamed Lilo as Gir piloted the Voot straight toward the brawl in the camp. Maya and Zim closed their  
>eyes and braced themselves for impact, while Stitch was hard at work chewing the cord that tied Maya to the Voot.<p>

Jet turned his head away from the fight just long enough to wave at Lilo. That was a big mistake. For as soon as his  
>attention was diverted, Tak lunged at him and pinned him to the ground.<p>

"Time to say good-night, traitor!" she said as she aimed one of her spider legs at Jet's stomach. Just as she was about  
>to stab him, Zim's Voot flew directly over her head. At the same time, the cord to which Maya was tied snapped, causing<br>the Centauri to fall right on top of Tak.

"Aww, she fell," Gir whined as he landed the Voot next to Maya's ship.

Zim climbed back into his ship and shoved Gir out of the pilot's seat. "That is the last time I let you pilot the Voot by yourself!"  
>he hissed angrily.<p>

Lilo and Stitch got up and ran toward Jet. "Are you all right?" Lilo asked as she helped the Irken to his feet.

"Don't worry, Lilo, I'm fine," Jet replied. "Where's Maya?"

"I'm over here," said Maya, pulling herself to her feet. "Ugh, what a nasty fall. I feel like I landed on something."

"Not on something! On someone!"

Before Maya had a chance to react, Tak jumped out from under her and clamped a pair of hand cuffs on her wrists.

"You're coming with me, Princess!"


	18. Chapter 17: Rules Of Capture

Lilo charged at Tak and kicked her in the shins as hard as she could. "No! Leave Maya alone!" she screamed.

Tak grabbed Lilo by the front of her dress and shoved her away. "I'm sorry, dear, but I can't do that," she said,  
>her sugary-sweet voice dripping with sarcasm. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have a prisoner to deliver to my leaders."<br>She held up a small spool-like device that was connected to Maya's hand cuffs by a strong cord similar to a dog's  
>leash. By grabbing the cord and giving it a tug, she forced Maya to follow her to her ship.<p>

"Why you little -!" Jet jumped to his feet and started to follow Tak and Maya. Before he could reach them, a laser  
>blast hit the ground right at Tak's feet, knocking both the Irken and her prisoner to the ground.<p>

"Return my prisoner at once!" said Zim as he marched toward Maya and Tak, pointing a laser gun at the latter.  
>"I caught her first, so by the Irken rules of war, she is MY prisoner, not yours!"<p>

Tak pulled herself up and calmly brushed the dirt off her uniform. "Yes, but then she escaped from you, only to be  
>re-captured by me," she said matter-of-factly. "Therefore, by the Irken rules of taking prisoners, she is MY prisoner<br>now!"

"Liar!" shouted Zim. "She did not escape from me. I, um, lost her by accident."

"Is that so?" asked Tak. "Well, in that case, finders keepers, losers weepers. You lost her, I found her, so she's mine  
>now." She grabbed Maya's leash and pulled the Centauri to her feet. "Come along now, Your Highness. The Tallests<br>are expecting you."

"You Irkens' rules don't make any sense," Maya muttered as Tak lead her away.

Zim's anger boiled over at the sight of his prize being taken away. "No one steals Zim's prisoners!" he cried. "No one!"  
>He then charged at Maya, grabbed her tail, and gave it a good strong yank in an effort to get her away from Tak.<p>

Maya clenched her teeth and bit back a cry of agony as pain shot through her rear end when Zim pulled her tail. A few  
>tears dribbled out of her eyes as she let out a pain-laced gasp, which caused Tak to flinch in surprise and turn around to<br>see what was wrong.

"Oh no, you don't!" she hissed when she saw Zim pulling Maya's tail. "If anyone's going to hand her over to the Tallests,  
>it's going to be me!" She grasped Maya's leash firmly in both hands and began tugging on it with all her might.<p>

"No, stop it!" Maya cried as she was jerked back and forth by the two Irkens. "I'm not coming with either of you!" She  
>thrashed and reared and kicked wildly like an untamed horse, but Zim and Tak refused to let go of her.<p>

"You have no say in this, Centauri stink-beast!" said Zim. "You're coming with Zim, and that's that."

"This is madness!" Jet shouted. "There's nothing more ridiculous than fighting over prisoners as if they were toys!"  
>He crossed his arms over his chest and frowned at Tak and Zim. "You two make me ashamed to call myself Irken."<p>

"Oh, save your clap-trap for the Tallests, Jet," scoffed Tak. Turning to her SIR unit, she ordered, "Mimi, round up the  
>others and load them into the Spittle Runner. I just remembered Jet has some explaining to do to the Tallests. And<br>I'm sure the Irken Empire could use a few more slaves."

"No!" Maya gasped.

Mimi jumped to her feet and herded Lilo, Stitch, Jet, and the Thraxxians into one big group, which she tied together  
>with a strong cord. Stitch snapped at her with his sharp teeth, but she was too fast for him.<p>

"Let us go!" Lilo cried indignantly.

"Hey, that's not fair!" screeched Zim. "You stole my idea, Tak!"

"No, she didn't," Gir piped up.

"Gir, be quiet!" snapped Zim.

Tak crossed her arms over her chest and scratched her chin thoughtfully. "Tell you what, Zim," she said. "How about we  
>both hand in these prisoners? I don't like to share credit anymore than you do, I'm sure, but at least we'll both get a<br>reward."

Zim sighed loudly. "You drive a hard bargain, Tak," he growled, "but you've got yourself a deal. However, the princess  
>rides with me!"<p>

"Fine." Tak reluctantly handed Maya's leash to Zim, and the two Irkens began to load their prisoners aboard their ships,  
>completely unaware that they were missing one Thraxxian and a SIR unit.<p>

* * *

><p>While Tak and Zim were busy fighting over Maya, Jet had whispered to Spaz to take Strike and go find help. The Thraxxian<br>nodded in reply and quietly tiptoed, unnoticed, to Maya's ship, where Strike was waiting. The two of them hid under the  
>dashboard in the ship's cockpit until they were sure Tak and Zim were gone.<p>

Spaz crawled into the pilot's seat and studied the control panel. "Okay, now where did Maya put the keys?" he asked  
>himself.<p>

Strike poked him in the arm and pointed to a pair of loose wires beneath the steering wheel.

"I don't understand, Strike," Spaz replied. "How are two loose wires going to help - ?" He snapped his fingers when he  
>suddenly realized what Strike was trying to tell him. <em>Hot-wire the ship! Of course!<em>

He grabbed the wires and immediately got to work. It took him longer than it would have taken Stitch, but after a decent  
>amount of effort, he finally got the engine running.<p>

"Come on, Strike!" he said as he jumped back into the pilot's seat. "Let's go find someone who can help our friends!"

* * *

><p>A few parsecs south of Thraxx, a lone Vortian ship drifted silently through space, surrounded only by the emptiness of<br>space itself. On board the ship's command deck, several aliens of various species sat at the control panel, watching the  
>monitors and keeping an eye out for danger.<p>

"I'm bored," whined a floating cone-shaped alien. "When's something exciting gonna happen? I want some action!" He  
>banged himself against the back of a chair, which was occupied at the moment by an irritable black and white Centauri<br>male.

"Aw, shut up, Shloonktapooxis!" the Centauri growled as he swatted at the pesky alien, who quickly dodged out of the  
>way. "No one wants to hear you whine and pout!"<p>

"Easy there, Luca," said a grey Centauri female who was watching the ship's scanners. "He's just looking for trouble.  
>Don't let him have it."<p>

"I'm not looking for trouble," protested Shloonktapooxis. "I'm just looking for a little fun, is all."

Luca sighed and sat back in his chair, adjusting the black cowboy hat on his head so that the brim covered his eyes.  
>"Troublemaker," he muttered.<p>

A brown alien with four arms walked up to the Centauri female manning the scanners and leaned over her shoulder.  
>"Anything yet, Chi?" he asked eagerly.<p>

The Centauri shook her head. "Nothing yet, Spleenk." She gently shoved him away. "And please don't call me Chi.  
>I've told you enough times already, my name is Chimera."<p>

Spleenk backed away. "Uh, yeah, sorry about that," he said.

Everyone on the command deck continued their work until the sound of an automatic door opening caused them to  
>turn their heads. The ship's captain, a Vortian male named Lard Nar, calmly entered the room and took a seat in the<br>command chair, which was connected to the wall by a robotic arm.

"I need a status report," he announced.

"There's been no signs of the Irken Armada so far, sir," said Spleenk. "Oh, and Shloonktapooxis was bugging Luca  
>again."<p>

Lard Nar glared at the two aforementioned aliens. "I'm warning you two," he growled, "any more trouble from either  
>of you, and you'll both be sweeping and mopping every floor on this ship. Do you understand?"<p>

Luca and Shloonktapooxis both nodded. "Yes, sir!"

"Captain Lard Nar!" Chimera called out. "We've got a ship emerging from hyperspace!"

Eager to see for himself, Lard Nar shifted his chair so that it hovered directly in front of the scanners.

"It appears to be a Galactic Alliance police cruiser," Chimera remarked, "but what's it doing out here?"

"Maybe they're lost or something," suggested Spleenk.

The crew turned to their captain, awaiting further orders.

"Prepare the tractor beam," Lard Nar ordered. "We'll question the pilot as soon as he is on board."


	19. Chapter 18: RagTag Resistance

**Okay, here's Chapter Eighteen. Keep the reviews coming, and I'll update soon. **

* * *

><p>Spaz twiddled his thumbs nervously as he looked around the strange hangar into which he and Strike<br>had suddenly been pulled. _What's going to happen to me now?_ he thought. _How am I going to get help_  
><em>for Jet and Maya and the others while I'm being held hostage aboard a strange alien spaceship in the <em>  
><em>middle of nowhere?<em>

"Shall I activate the emergency thrusters and attempt an escape, sir?" asked Strike, interrupting Spaz's  
>thoughts.<p>

The Thraxxian shook his head. "No, Strike. Let's just wait for someone to come and explain everything to  
>us."<p>

Several minutes later, a female alien wearing a purple hooded cloak that covered her entire body entered  
>the hangar and cautiously approached the cruiser in which Spaz and Strike were sitting.<p>

"Follow me, please," she said. "My captain wishes to speak with you immediately."

"Um, okay," Spaz replied as he and Strike climbed out of their ship. They followed the hooded alien out of the  
>hangar and down a strange hallway that lead to an elevator. As they boarded the elevator, Spaz felt a number<br>of questions pop into his head, but he decided to wait awhile before asking them. Besides, the crew of this ship  
>undoubtedly had some questions for him, too!<p>

As soon as the elevator arrived at its destination, the hooded female lead Spaz and Strike into a room that was  
>obviously the ship's conference room. Several aliens sat at a horizontally positioned rectangular table, staring at<br>their visitor with a mixture of suspicion and curiosity.

"Please, have a seat," said the hooded alien as she offered Spaz a chair, which he happily accepted. As soon as he  
>sat down, Spaz rubbed his sweaty palms together and studied the aliens seated at the table in front of him. One of<br>them, a grey-skinned Vortian wearing green goggles over his eyes, glared at him with an uncomfortable intensity.  
>Judging by the way he held his head, he seemed to be the one in charge.<p>

"Is this the one?" he asked the hooded female.

"Yes, sir," she replied.

"Thank you, Ixane. You may sit down now."

* * *

><p>Ixane nodded in reply and took a seat at the table. Lard Nar then turned his attention to the Thraxxian seated<br>before him.

"Alright, let's get down to business," he said. "Who are you and what are you doing out here?"

"My name is Spaz," replied the Thraxxian, "and this is Strike." He pointed to the SIR unit standing next to him.  
>"Some friends of mine are in trouble, and they sent me to get help. That's all I can tell you."<p>

Lard Nar eyed Strike suspiciously. "Is that so?" he asked. "Then tell me, why do you have a piece of Irken  
>equipment with you?" He narrowed his eyes until they were mere slits in his skull.<p>

"He, um, isn't mine," Spaz stammered. "He belongs to an Irken named Jet, but don't worry. He isn't like other  
>Irkens."<p>

"How can you be sure?" asked Luca. "He might turn on you when you least expect it." He slammed his fist down  
>on the table. "That's what the entire Irken race is - a merciless backstabbing machine!"<p>

"Luca, calm down, please!" Ixane said shakily. As soon as Luca calmed down, she turned to Spaz and added,  
>"Perhaps you'd better tell your story, starting from the beginning."<p>

Spaz nodded and began to explain everything, from Maya's arrival on Thraxx, to the battle with the Hogulus, to  
>their meeting with Jet, to the dinner around the campfire, all the way up to Zim and Tak's ambush and his friends'<br>capture.

"So you see, I'm just trying to get help for my friends," said Spaz as he wrapped up his story.

"I see," Lard Nar replied. "Well Spaz, now that you've explained yourself, I guess I should do the same. My name is  
>Lard Nar, and I am the leader of the Resisty, which is a group of rebel fighters fighting against the Irken Empire. I'll<br>admit, we aren't the strongest resistance group in the galaxy, but we aren't the weakest, either. Plus, we have a good  
>source of weapons and other supplies."<p>

"We should have gone with 'Pirate Monkeys'!" Shloonktapooxis piped up.

"Would you be quiet?" hissed Luca.

"It's an awesome name!" Shloonktapooxis snipped back.

Suddenly, Chimera burst through the door, causing Luca and Shloonktapooxis to stop their argument.

"We've got another Federation ship on sensors," she announced.

"Another one?" moaned Lard Nar. "Well, let's go see what they want." He got up from his seat at the table. "Everyone to  
>the bridge! Spaz, you and your robot friend come with us!"<p>

* * *

><p>"It appears we'll have to call for help," Jumba announced grimly as he checked the fuel gauge. "We're almost out of fuel.<br>And the nearest refuling station is twenty parsecs away."

"I told you we should have refuled the ship before we left!" Pleakley scolded. "But no, you just said we probably had  
>enough to get us to Thraxx!" He stretched out his arms and waved them around in the air. "Now see what you've done!<br>We're stranded out here!"

"Sorry, I must have misjudged the distance between Earth and Thraxx," said Jumba.

"Don't we have a back-up source of fuel on board?" asked the Grand Councilwoman.

"Oh, I threw that out to make room for the cooler," Pleakley confessed. "I didn't think we'd need it, because I thought  
>Jumba was going to <em>refuel the ship!<em>" He scowled at the four-eyed alien, who just shrugged in reply.

"You morons!" Nani screamed as she jumped out of her seat, ready to beat Jumba and Pleakley to a pulp. "How could  
>you two be so stupid?"<p>

Shadowfax and Hippodamia remained in their seats, watching Nani chase Jumba and Pleakley around the cabin.  
>Meanwhile, Cobra and Le-Sha watched the scanners for any nearby ships they could contact.<p>

"What's that, up ahead?" asked Cobra, pointing at a strange grey ship approaching from several feet away.

Le-Sha checked the scanners. "It looks like a Vort ship to me," she said, "but I thought those were all  
>destroyed when the Irkens conquered Vort." She noticed a small red button on the control panel flashing<br>on and off. "They seem to be hailing us."

"Put them onscreen," said Shadowfax, rising from his seat. "Perhaps they will be willing to help us."

Le-Sha pressed the flashing red button, and the main screen came on, showing a group of tall, dark silhouettes.

"Identify yourselves at once!" Shadowfax demanded.

"We...are the Resisty!" announced a deep voice. "We have come all this way to -"

Le-Sha narrowed her eyes and studied the screen suspiciously. "Is that you, Lard Nar?" she asked, crossing  
>her arms over her chest.<p>

"I have no idea who you are talking about," replied the deep voice. "Anyhow, we have come to -"

"You can't fool me, Lard Nar. I know that's you back there!" Le-Sha climbed up on to the control panel and  
>placed her hands on her hips. "Now turn on the lights and turn off that ridiculous deep voice!"<p>

The lights aboard the Resisty's ship flicked on, revealing a group of shame-faced aliens holding cardboard  
>cutouts on sticks. At the head of the group was a very unhappy Vortian male.<p>

"Aw, you're no fun, Le-Sha," he protested. "You're always ruining everything."

"You two know each other?" Hippodamia asked as she looked back and forth between the two Vortians.

"We've known each other since our academy days," Le-Sha replied. Turning back to Lard Nar, she added,  
>"It's great to see you again, Lard, but the reunion will have to wait. We're kind of in a hurry."<p>

"What's going on?" Lard Nar asked. "Maybe my men and I can help."

"My daughter, Maya, is lost somewhere in the Outer Regions," Shadowfax explained. "We're trying to find  
>her before the Irken Armada does, but it seems our ship is running low on fuel."<p>

"I know where she is!" exclaimed a voice aboard the Resisty's ship. A Thraxxian male eagerly shoved his way  
>to the front of the crowd. "She was on Thraxx with a human girl and a blue koala-thing, but these two Irkens<br>captured them!"

Hippodamia's face turned pale as the news sunk in. After a few minutes, she fainted right into her husband's  
>arms.<p>

"They were captured?" Pleakley shrieked.

"Yes, but Jet told me to get help, so that's why I'm here," the Thraxxian replied.

"Who's Jet?" asked Nani.

"He's an Irken, but don't worry. He's not as bad as the others, I think."

"An _Irken_ sent you for help?" Cobra asked incredulously.

"He must have been a rebel," Shadowfax suggested as he gently placed Hippodamia on a laid-back chair.  
>"I've heard stories about Irken soldiers rebelling against the Empire and siding with the alien races they<br>were sent to conquer."

"Is there anything we can do to help?" asked a Resisty member.

"We don't have enough fuel to get us to the next service station," Le-Sha explained. "Do you think you could  
>tow us there?"<p>

"We'd be glad to," Lard Nar replied. He turned to Shadowfax and Hippodamia, who was just now regaining  
>consciousness. "And we'd also be happy to help rescue your daughter. It just so happens that we've got a<br>score to settle with the Irken Armada ourselves."

Cobra turned to Shadowfax. "Are you sure you're willing to trust these so-called resistance fighters?" he asked.  
>"They seem a bit...well...untrained."<p>

"I agree with Cobra," said the Grand Councilwoman. "I'm not entirely sure if they can be of much help to us."

"My mind is made up," Shadowfax announced. "They may be a rag-tag resistance group, but they're the only  
>chance we've got. With Maya's, Lilo's, and Stitch's lives at stake, I'm willing to take that chance." He then turned<br>to face Lard Nar.

"We accept your offer of help."


	20. Chapter 19: Arrival On The Massive

Lilo shivered in her seat aboard Tak's Spittle runner, more from discomfort than from fear. Stitch  
>was curled up next to her, feeling drowsy from the sedative Tak gave him to keep him quiet. Jet<br>and a Thraxxian female occupied the remaining two passenger seats aboard the Spittle runner,  
>while Tak, of course, sat in the pilot's seat, with Mimi standing next to her.<p>

Tak turned around to look at her prisoners. "Uncomfortable?" she asked sarcastically when she  
>noticed Lilo cowering in her seat. "Awwww ... Good!" Her face hardened into a menacing scowl.<br>"Enjoy it while it lasts, sweetheart. It'll be a lot worse in the Massive's cell block."

"Leave her alone, Tak," growled Jet.

"Save your breath, Jet," Tak retorted. "You're going to need it." She then turned her attention  
>back to flying her ship.<p>

Lilo turned toward the window and looked out at the group of magenta-colored spaceships outside.  
>Several feet ahead of Tak's Spittle runner was Zim's Voot cruiser, which carried Maya and the other<br>three Thraxxian prisoners aboard, as well as Zim and Gir.

"I hope Maya's okay," Lilo whispered to herself.

* * *

><p>"Doom, doom-de-doom-doom, doom-doomy-doom-doom, doom-de-doom..."<p>

Aboard Zim's Voot cruiser, Gir tried to entertain the four prisoners in the back seat by singing to them.  
>Unfortunately, they did not share his taste in music, and were getting very annoyed!<p>

Maya groaned as she rubbed her aching forehead. _How can one little robot sing like that for so long?_  
>she thought. <em>It's driving me crazy!<em>

Zim, meanwhile, focused only on flying his Voot. _Oh, I can't wait to see the looks on the Tallests' faces  
>when they see what I've brought them!<em> he thought. _They'll be so_ _proud of me, they'll have to give me those  
>battle tanks I oh-so-rightfully deserve!<em>

Gir continued to dance and sing for another twenty minutes before he finally decided to wrap it up.  
>"Doom-doom-doom, the end!" he said, taking a bow.<p>

_Finally,_ thought Maya wearily. She slowly drifted off to sleep, only to be re-awakened ten minutes later  
>by the unmistakable sound of crackling static.<p>

"What was that?" she mumbled to herself. As her head cleared, she could make out a voice over Zim's  
>intercom that sounded a great deal like Pleakley, only bossier.<p>

"Yes, what is it now, Zim?" asked the voice. Judging by the tone he was using, the speaker was obviously  
>annoyed. "We're in the the middle of dinner now, so make it quick!"<p>

"Greetings, my Tallest," said Zim proudly. "I am pleased to announce that thanks to my amazing brain meats  
>of doom, Princess Amaya of Centauria is now in custody. I'll hand her over to you as soon as I arrive aboard<br>the Massive."

"Good job Zim, make us proud," replied his leader half-heartedly. "Now if you'll excuse me, I gotta go. My curly  
>fries are getting cold." With that, he cut the transmission.<p>

* * *

><p>"Who was that, Dad?" asked Sheen, her mouth full of burrito.<p>

"Oh, no one special," said Purple as he returned to the table where he, Red, and their families were eating  
>dinner.<p>

"Was it that Zim-guy again?" asked Tark as he helped himself to some nachos.

"What did he want this time?" asked his sister, Aiko.

"Oh, he just wanted to say that he captured the Centauri princess," Purple explained, placing a curly fry in his  
>mouth. "He's bringing her to us right now."<p>

"Did you prepare those battle tanks he requested?" asked Red's wife, Azka.

Her husband nodded. "They're ready and waiting in the cargo hold," he said proudly. "This time, Purple and I  
>rigged them to self-destruct when Zim tries to activate the plasma cannons." He rubbed his palms together,<br>smirking triumphantly. "We've got him now!"

"For sure, this time!" cackled Purple.

Red's youngest son, Ven, looked at his father with a confused look on his face. "Daddy, why are you trying to  
>blow that Zim-guy up?" he asked.<p>

"Because he's a bad Irken, son," his father replied. "Remember how he ruined Operation Impending Doom One?  
>And how he took control of the Massive and almost killed us by flying us into the sun? And let's not forget that<br>awful day..."

"Red, that's enough!" scolded Azka, smacking Red's arm. "You're going to give him nightmares."

Before Red could explain himself, one of his and Purple's bodyguards entered the room.

"Forgive my intrusion, my Tallests," he said, "but two ships have arrived in the docking bay, and the pilots are on  
>their way to see you." He scratched himself behind his right antenna. "It seems they've brought prisoners with<br>them."

"Excellent," said Red. "Tell the pilots we'll be with them shortly, as soon as we finish dinner."

* * *

><p>Lilo shuddered as Tak lead her and the Thraxxians down the hallways of the Massive toward the Tallest's throne<br>room. Terrifying thoughts ran through her head. What was going to happen to her and Stitch? And what about Jet  
>and Maya? Whatever the Irken leaders wanted to do with them, it did not sound good at all.<p>

Stitch staggered along behind Lilo, still under the effect of the sedative. Every few feet he would stumble and fall,  
>and Tak would grab him by the scruff of his neck and yank him to his feet.<p>

"Prepare yourselves for cruel and interminable torture," said Zim as he glared at Jet and Maya, who walked along  
>behind him on a leash-like cord.<p>

"Your torture methods don't scare me," Maya growled.

"We'll see about that, Your Majesty," Zim replied as he pushed open the door to the throne room. He and Tak lead  
>their prisoners into the room and down a red-carpeted aisle, toward the raised platform where the Tallests were<br>waiting.

As she walked down the aisle, Lilo glanced around the room curiously. The walls were mostly decorated in magenta,  
>with a bit of red and purple here and there. Right above the Tallests' platform was a huge banner emblazoned with<br>an Irken symbol. However, what really caught the little girl's attention were the computers. Her eyes widened at the  
>sight of all the high-tech equipment that filled the room. She had to admit, even the Galactic Council's meeting room<br>on Planet Turo seemed pretty shabby in comparison to this!

Finally, the prisoners arrived on the platform directly in front of the Tallests. Zim and Tak stood up straight and saluted  
>their leaders.<p>

"My Tallests, may I present to you...Princess Amaya of Centauria!"

Zim grabbed Maya by her left arm and tugged her forward so that she stood face to face with Tallest Red.

"So, we meet at last, Princess," Red cooed slyly. He placed his hand under her chin and brought her angry eyes up to  
>meet his malicious smirk. "I have to admit, you're shorter than I expected, but you're no different from any other Centauri<br>I've seen."

"That's funny," Maya retorted, "I expected you and your co-leader to look just like any other Irken, only uglier!"

"I'm not ugly!" yelled Purple.

Tak lead Jet to stand in front of Red and Purple, right next to Maya. "My Tallests, I have evidence that this Irken was  
>assisting the enemy," she said. She retrieved her computerized clipboard from her PAK and handed it to Purple.<p>

After looking over Tak's evidence very carefully, Purple turned to Jet. "This evidence against you is very convincing,  
>Jet," he said gravely. "Do you have anything to say for yourself?"<p>

"Yes, I do, sir," Jet replied. "I helped them because they needed help, and something inside me told me to do what  
>was right, so that's what I did." He took a deep breath. "You can do whatever you want to me, but please, don't<br>hurt my friends."

The Tallests turned around and whispered to each other for several minutes. Finally, Red glided forward and glared  
>sternly at Jet and Maya.<p>

"Invader Jet, for your act of treachery against the Irken Empire, you will be sent to Judgementia to be deactivated,"  
>he announced. "And as for you, Princess," he added, turning to Maya, "you will be held in our custody for the next<br>twenty-four hours. If the Centauri do not have all of their troops out of our territory by then, we'll just have to feed  
>you to the slaughtering rat creatures on Planet Blorch."<p>

"No! You can't do that!" Lilo screamed. She struggled to get loose, but her bonds held her tightly.

"And don't worry about your little friends," Purple chimed in. "They'll be just fine in their new homes...as food service  
>drones on Foodcourtia!"<p>

He turned to the prison guards. "Take the prisoners to the cell block," he ordered, "but leave the princess with us.  
>And could someone prepare a transport vessel for Jet's trip to Judgementia?"<p>

"You fiends!" Maya cried. She charged toward the Tallests, ready to attack them, but two of their bodyguards rushed  
>forward and stopped her. As they grabbed her and held her down, she watched with sorrow-filled eyes as her friends<br>were lead away.

_What have I done?_ she thought miserably.


	21. Chapter 20: Jailbreak and a Secret

Jet sat on the cold floor of his cell, head in hands. Tears were forming in his eyes, but he fought them  
>back as best he could.<p>

_I don't care what happens to me,_ he thought. _If I must die, then I'll die with dignity. It's just Lilo and Maya  
>I'm worried about...<em>

He glanced over at Lilo, who was sitting on a shabby bed on the other side of the cell. The girl was  
>looking at a photograph she was holding in one hand while wiping her tears away with her other<br>hand.

Stitch, no longer under the effects of the sedative, was clawing at the walls of the cell, trying desperately  
>to find a way out. He scratched and clawed and banged with all his might, but the walls stood firm. Discouraged,<br>the poor alien rolled himself up into a ball and began rolling in a circle around the cell, emitting muffled screams.

Sighing, Jet got up and walked over to the bed where Lilo was sitting.

"Hi," Lilo said softly when she noticed him.

"What's that you got?" asked Jet as he sat down next to her.

Lilo handed him the photograph. It showed her, Stitch, Nani, David, Jumba, Pleakley, Maya, and all the experiments  
>sitting on the front porch of her house.<p>

"This is my ohana," she explained. "Where I come from, that means family."

"You all look like a nice family," said Jet. "I, uh...never had one. You see, most Irkens, myself included, were cloned  
>and grown in test tubes, and raised by computers. We were taught from an early age to be cruel and merciless, to<br>not have feelings."

"That's awful," whispered Lilo.

"I know," Jet agreed. "It's like we're robots or something, manufactured on an assembly line like cars." He stood up,  
>eyes burning with anger. "For crying out loud, do I look like a robot to you?" he shouted, shaking his fist at the ceiling.<br>He then let out an exasperated moan and sunk to the floor on his knees.

Stitch, surprised by Jet's outburst, stopped his rolling and collapsed flat on his back. After shaking the dizziness out of  
>his head, he got up and walked over to Jet.<p>

"Jet not robot," he said, taking the Irken's hand in his own.

Jet looked at Stitch. "What's that?"

"Stitch is right, Jet," said Lilo as she climbed off the bed. "You're not a robot. You are a living, breathing person who  
>deserves more out of life than just cruelty and destruction. In fact, you're not all that different from Stitch."<p>

Jet gave her a confused look.

"Stitch was originally created by Jumba to be a weapon of mass destruction," Lilo explained. "The Galactic Council  
>banished him to a desert asteroid, but he escaped and landed on Earth. Nani and I found him at the animal shelter<br>and adopted him. We taught him about what it meant to belong, to be part of a ohana, a family who loves you."

Jet closed his eyes and allowed his entire life to flash before him.

_He saw himself as a newborn smeet, standing in a cold, dark room, listening as an equally cold, unfeeling voice told him  
><em>_ to report for duty._

_He saw himself as a soldier in training, being taught to destroy everything his species considered inferior to themselves,  
>to obey any given order without question.<em>

_He saw himself as an Invader, on his first day on Thraxx, hiding behind a huge boulder, preparing to shoot an  
>unsuspecting Thraxxian.<em>

_He loaded his gun and aimed it at his victim. But just as he was about to fire, something made him stop._

_The Thraxxian opened a pouch on her stomach and peeked into it. A baby stuck his head out of the pouch and looked  
>up at his mother, waving his arms and cooing. The mother lifted her child out of her pouch and held him against her<br>__chest, smiling at him all the while._

_Jet watched this scene with a misty look in his eyes. For as long as he could remember, he had known something  
>was missing from his life, but he wasn't sure what it was. Now, as he saw the tender moment between a mother<br>and her child, he realized what that missing piece was. It was a need to be part of something, to be wanted, to belong..._

"Jet, are you alright?" Lilo asked, interrupting the Irken's thoughts.

Jet opened his eyes. "I'm fine, Lilo," he said. "It's just...well...  
>never mind."<p>

A few minutes later, two guards entered the cell block and stopped in front of Jet's cell.

"Come with us, ex-Invader Jet," one of the guards said as he opened the door to the cell. "Your ride to  
>Judgementia is waiting."<p>

While the guards were preparing to escort Jet out of the jail cell, Stitch quietly slipped past them, unnoticed,  
>and tiptoed over to the cell that housed the four Thraxxians. He climbed up the wall next to the cell door and<br>began picking the lock with one of his claws.

The guards, unaware that Stitch had escaped, lead Jet out of the cell and down the hallway leading to the exit.  
>Suddenly, one of the guards felt something wet hit the back of his head.<p>

"What the-" The guard reached back to touch the mysterious substance when the skin on his neck and upper  
>back started to itch and burn quite painfully.<p>

"Aaaaaaiiiieee! It burns!" he screamed, dashing out of the cell block toward the elevator that would take him  
>to the Massive's infirmary.<p>

"What's going on?" demanded the other guard as he turned around, looking for the source of his partner's pain.  
>There, in the middle of the hallway, was Stitch, sitting on the floor and innocently wagging his tail.<p>

"Why, you little abomination!" growled the guard as he marched toward Stitch, ready to tear him apart. Suddenly,  
>he felt something hard and heavy hit the back of his head, and he fell to the floor, unconscious.<p>

Jet turned around to find one of the Thraxxians, a small yellow-eyed female, standing over the unconscious Irken  
>guard with a mallet in her hand.<p>

"Come on," he said to her. "Let's get Lilo out and go."

Jet snatched the prison keys from the belt around the guard's waist and hurried back to his and Lilo's cell. As soon  
>as he had unlocked the door, Lilo dashed out of the cell and threw her arms around him, fighting back the urge to<br>cry.

"It's going to be okay," Jet told her soothingly. "Now let's go rescue Maya."

* * *

><p>Maya sat at one of the fancy little tables in the Massive's snack bar, poking moodily at the slice of chocolate cake<br>that an Irken service drone had so thoughtfully brought her. Two guards stood at attention behind her, making  
>sure she did not try to escape.<p>

_I am such an idiot!_ she thought. _If only I had listened to Dad when he told me to stay on Earth...Now Lilo, Stitch, and Jet  
>will have to suffer the consequences of my<em> _disobedience as well as me. Because of my foolishness, I've endangered them  
><em>_all...and maybe the rest of the family, too!_

She sniffled loudly to clear her nose, which was stuffed up from her crying. One of her guards turned around and  
>glared at her.<p>

"Be quiet!" he growled.

Maya rolled her eyes and pretended to ignore him. As she glanced cautiously around the room, she caught sight of  
>the Tallests, who were sitting at a table with three other Irkens. Her eyes narrowed in disgust at the sight of the<br>horrible Irken leaders.

_Those pea-brained jerks! They deserve nothing more than to..._

"Care for some company?" asked a soft, yet somewhat husky, voice.

Maya looked up to find Tak and Alambil standing in front of her.

"Not from her," Maya growled, pointing at Tak.

"Chill out, Princess," said Tak. "There's something I want to tell you."

"Go away!" Maya snapped, turning her back on her visitors. "You've caused enough trouble already."

Alambil grabbed Maya and pulled her roughly out of her chair. "Now listen here, missy," she growled, "my friend has  
>something to say to you, and you will listen to what she has to say. Got it?"<p>

Maya rolled her eyes. "Fine," she replied. "I'll listen."

As soon as the guards gave their permission, Tak took a seat at Maya's table.

"I suppose you're wondering why I want to talk to you," she said, "after what Zim and I just put you and your friends  
>through."<p>

"That's right," Maya replied coldly.

Tak took a deep breath and continued. "This may be hard for you to believe, but...I didn't really want to take you or  
>Jet prisoner. However, I had no choice."<p>

Maya stared at Tak in disbelief. "Then why did you do it?" she demanded.

"Because..." Tak hesitated for a bit, looking around the room to make sure no one else was listening. Then she leaned  
>forward and whispered into Maya's ear:<p>

"I have a Centauri friend who needs my help."

Maya quietly sucked in her breath, trying not to draw attention from the other Irkens in the snack bar. "You what?"  
>she whispered back.<p>

"My friend, Patch, who is a Centauri, is being held in a maximum security prison on planet Meekrob," Tak continued  
>to whisper. "I'm planning to break her out, but I needed supplies that only the Tallests could give me. So I thought<br>that if I handed in either you or an Irken rebel, the Tallests would be willing to give me what I needed."

Maya glanced over at the Tallests, who were blissfully ignoring everything in the room except the snacks they were  
>eating. "Do they know about Patch?" she asked Tak.<p>

Tak shook her head. "All I told them was that I needed extra equipment for another attempt at taking over Earth."

Before Maya could say anything else, an alarm went off.

"My Tallests!" cried a prison guard as he burst into the room. "The prisoners have escaped!"


	22. Chapter 21: Emergencies Come In Twos

**A/N: I'm planning for this story to have two or three more chapters, and then I'm done. I'm getting pretty tired of dragging it on like this.**

* * *

><p>"Look at them, Gir! Do they not amaze you?"<p>

Zim stood in the Massive's cargo hold, admiring his new battle tanks. His face beamed with pride as he ran  
>his hands over the sleek, shiny metallic surface of the biggest one.<p>

"With these tanks at my disposal," he said, grinning evilly, "the humans won't stand a chance! They will all  
>bow to the greatness that is Zim! Mwah hah hah!"<p>

Gir gazed in wonder at his master's newest prize. "They smell like chicken," he remarked as he tried to hug  
>one of the tanks. "I love them already!"<p>

Zim rolled his eyes and sighed in exasperation. "Yes, so they do," he replied. "They are also equipped with  
>high-impact plasma cannons and powerful deflector shields. And, as an added bonus, each tank has its own<br>cloaking device that makes you invisible as well as the tank itself." He chuckled. "An obvious improvement on  
>that silly old Mega-Doomer!"<p>

"You mean the one with the chicken legs?" Gir asked.

"Yes, Gir, the one with the chicken legs," Zim growled. "Now, to arrange transportation for my mighty battle  
>tanks of doom!"<p>

Just as Zim was about to march out of the cargo hold, the sudden sound of an alarm going off caused him to  
>jump several feet backward in surprise.<p>

"It sounds like the prisoners are trying to escape," he remarked. "Come, Gir, we should try to catch them  
>before they get away!"<p>

* * *

><p>"D***!" muttered Jet when he heard the alarm go off. "They found out we escaped!" He turned toward<br>Lilo, Stitch, and their Thraxxian friends. "Quick, let's all split up so we'll be harder to catch!"

"But Jet-" Lilo protested.

"No buts, Lilo. If we scatter, it will take them longer to catch us all. And if one of us gets caught, the rest  
>of us will come and rescue them." Jet turned his head toward the sound of running feet approaching. "Now<br>go! We'll re-group once we reach the hangar!"

The prisoners scattered in different directions, causing a great deal of chaos and confusion among the guards.

"Where did they all go?"

"I think one of the Thraxxians ran toward the cargo hold."

"I saw that blue one climb into the ventillation shaft."

"I'm pretty sure the earth maggot went toward the Tallests' private quarters."

"Let's split up," said the head guard. "I'll take four of you and go to the hangar. The rest of you will each go  
>after one of the prisoners. Now let's move!"<p>

Five of the guards ran toward the hangar, while the others each went down a different hallway in search  
>of the escaped prisoners.<p>

* * *

><p>"Wow, look at that!"<p>

Pleakley gazed in wonder at the huge fleet of magenta-colored ships right outside his window. He had never  
>seen such astounding examples of alien spacecraft before. Every single ship in this massive fleet fascinated<br>him, from the smallest fighter to that gigantic ship that he guessed was the fleet's leader.

Lard Nar noticed Pleakley's fascination with the armada before them. "Yes, amazing, isn't it?" he remarked.  
>He pointed at the enormous command ship. "That's the Massive, right there. My people designed most of<br>that ship, so I know exactly how powerful it is."

"That's what you said last time," said Chimera. Lard Nar gave her a look that told her to be quiet.

"We're gonna die!" whined Shloonktapooxis, banging his head on the floor.

Spaz cowered under Lard Nar's chair, chewing his fingernails.

Shadowfax stared nervously at the ships straight ahead. "Okay, now that we've found them, how do we  
>rescue Maya and Lilo?" he asked.<p>

"Perhaps we should hail them and ask to speak to the prisoners," Luca suggested. "You know, just to see  
>if they're okay."<p>

Shadowfax turned to Hippodamia and the Grand Councilwoman, who nodded their approval. Then he looked  
>at Lard Nar, who also nodded, giving his permission for the Centauri king to give the order.<p>

"Open a channel with the Massive," he told the Resisty's technicians. "My wife and I will speak with the  
>Tallests and ask about our daughter and her friends."<p>

* * *

><p>Zarthab looked up from the Irken newspaper he was reading and checked the monitors on the control<br>panel in front of him. The sight of the two enemy ships just ahead nearly caused him to spit out his coffee  
>and jump out of his seat.<p>

"Oh s***, they're back!" he yelled when he noticed the Resisty's ship. He turned to the green-eyed female  
>technician sitting just to his right. "Get the Tallests!"<p>

The technician jumped out of her seat and hurried down the hallway leading away from the bridge. Several  
>minutes later she returned, with Red, Purple, and Maya at her heels. Maya, of course, was being led on a<br>chain by Purple.

"What is it now, Zarthab?" Red demanded. "We're in the middle of a prison break, so make it quick!"

"Sirs, the Resisty's back!" Zarthab explained. "And it looks like they've brought some Federationites with them!"

Red hovered toward the control panels to see for himself. "D***! Why do emergencies always come in twos?"  
>he shouted. He turned to Purple and held out his hand to take Maya's chain. "I'll handle this, and you take care<br>of the prisoners, alright?"

"Okay," Purple replied. He handed Maya's chain to Red, then hurried away to the lower decks.

"They're hailing us, sir," said Zarthab. "Should we answer them?"

Red handed Maya over to one of his bodyguards, then hovered to his chair at the center of the bridge.  
>"Put them onscreen," he ordered as he took a seat.<p>

Within seconds, the transmission screen flickered on, showing an unhappy and very dignified looking  
>King Shadowfax. An equally unhappy Queen Hippodamia stood at his side, with Nani, Jumba, Pleakley,<br>and Lard Nar standing right behind them both.

"King Shadowfax?" asked a very confused Red. "What are you doing out here? And aboard the  
>Resisty's ship, of all places?"<p>

"I believe you and I both know the answer to that question, Almighty Tallest Red," Shadowfax  
>replied. "I'm here for my daughter. Now, where is she?"<p>

Red turned to his bodyguards and motioned for them to bring Maya forward, which they did.

"Maya!" Hippodamia exclaimed as her daughter came into view. "Thank goodness you're alright."

"I'm fine, Mom," Maya replied. "And Nani, if you're there, don't worry about Lilo and Stitch.  
>They're safe with Jet."<p>

"Okay, enough with the teary reunion," said Red as he stood up and hovered closer to the  
>transmission screen. "Your daughter and her friends are alive and well for now, Shadowfax,<br>but by this time tomorrow, they won't be." An evil smirk crossed his face. "If you don't withdraw  
>all your troops from our territory within the next twenty-four hours, I'm afraid we'll have no choice<br>but to feed little Miss Amaya to the slaughtering rat creatures on planet Blorch - and maybe her  
>friends, too."<p>

Hippodamia and Nani gasped simultaneously.

"You wouldn't dare!" Pleakley screamed.

Red glared at him. "Try me."

"This is madness!" Shadowfax shouted. "Do you seriously expect me to agree to any of your  
>ridiculous terms? Return my daughter and her friends at once, or we'll destroy your ship!"<p>

Red glared at Shadowfax, clicking his claws together angrily. "Could you really bring yourself to  
>do that, Shadowfax?" he yelled. "It just so happens that my wife and children, as well as my<br>co-ruler's, are on board with us. And did I mention that both our wives are expecting smeets?"

Shadowfax just stared at the crimson-eyed Irken leader, not knowing what to say.

"In addition," Red continued, "your own daughter is also on board, with no way of escaping."  
>He gestured toward Maya's chains. "If you destroy my ship now, you'll destroy her, too. Now,<br>will you agree to my terms, or won't you?"

Shadowfax looked at his wife, then at his daughter, and finally at the nervous crowd gathered  
>behind him. He sighed loudly and sank to the floor on his knees.<p>

"Just give me some time to think about it," he requested.

"One hour," Red replied. He then turned to the communications officers and motioned for them  
>to cut the transmission, which they did.<p>

_Now what?_ Maya thought grimly.

* * *

><p>Hippodamia lovingly placed her hand on her distraught husband's shoulder. "Don't worry," she<br>said, "I'm sure we'll think of something. And I wouldn't underestimate Maya, either. She's gotten  
>herself out of trouble before."<p>

"Yes, but I'm afraid she's in way over her head this time," Shadowfax replied.

Lard Nar and the Grand Councilwoman looked at each other, then at the Centauri leaders, unsure  
>of what to say next. Suddenly, Lard Nar snapped his fingers.<p>

"I have an idea," he announced.

"I sure hope it's better than your last one," Luca muttered.

"Please explain this idea of yours, Mr. Nar," said the Grand Councilwoman.

Lard Nar jumped out of his chair and pressed a button on the control panel. A holographic image  
>of the Resisty's ship and the Massive popped up.<p>

"The storage pods on each side of the Massive are loaded with all kinds of snacks," he explained.  
>"If we could send some of our men to knock a hole in one of those storage pods, they could sneak<br>aboard through there and rescue the prisoners. Meanwhile, the rest of us will create a sort of distraction  
>to keep the rest of the Armada busy, so they don't notice right away."<p>

"Sounds good to me," said Le-Sha.

"Yes, it's a very good plan," said Spaz as he crawled out from under Lard Nar's chair, "but who or what  
>is going to distract the Armada while the rescue team invades the Massive?"<p>

All eyes turned to Spaz.

"Me?" squeaked the Thraxxian. "You've got to be kidding me."

"Don't worry, you'll won't be alone," Le-Sha reassured him. "We'll also send Pleakley along to help."

Pleakley turned a sickly pale color. "No way! Crazy-heads!"

"Pleakley, please?" asked Nani. "Lilo and the others really need your help now. We're counting on  
>everyone here, including you, to help save them."<p>

Pleakley sighed. "Fine, I'll go with Spaz."

"Alright, let's do this!" squealed Shloonktapooxis.


	23. Chapter 22: Insanity And Hidden Feelings

Pleakley took a deep breath, then he slowly let it out again. He glanced nervously out the window of  
>the small Vort fighter he and Spaz were riding in and shuddered at the sight of the Irken ships straight<br>ahead.

"So, how exactly are we going to create a distraction?" he asked Spaz, who was flying the ship.

Spaz motion for him to be quiet. "Just be patient while I find something to shoot at," he said. His eyes  
>scanned the scene before him for several minutes, until he noticed a small space rock drifting past the<br>Massive's lower front.

"That looks like a good target," he said. He reached out toward the control panel and grabbed the  
>trigger. "Hold on tight, Mr. One-Eyed Weirdo, this is going to get messy!"<p>

"My name is Pleakley!" Pleakley growled indignantly.

"Whatever," Spaz replied, then he locked on to his target and fired.

* * *

><p>"My Tallest!" cried one of the pilots. "We've been fired upon!"<p>

"What?" Eyes burning with fury, Red hovered to the control panels to see for himself, dragging  
>Maya behind him on her chain.<p>

"It appears to be a Vort fighter, sir," the pilot explained. "A second-generation Delta class, I  
>believe. I'm guessing it came from the Resisty's ship."<p>

Red narrowed his eyes and studied the scanners carefully. "They've got some nerve there,"  
>he remarked. "Just who do they think they are, anyway?"<p>

"You should never underestimate your enemy, your Tallest," said Maya. "They may be more  
>powerful than you think."<p>

Red's anger boiled over. "Would you just shut up!" he snapped as he turned to face his prisoner,  
>aiming two of his PAK's spider-legs at her head. "I have enough on my plate as it is already. I don't<br>need you adding to it." He turned back to the pilots, who were cowering in fear from his outburst.

"Aim one of the small laser turrets at that fighter," he ordered. "Then fire up the doomsday cannon  
>and aim it at the Resisty's ship. That ought to teach them a lesson."<p>

The pilots saluted and immediately got to work, while Maya just stood where she was, gaping in  
>horrified silence.<p>

* * *

><p>"Eeeeek, they're targeting us!" Pleakley shrieked.<p>

"Alright then, here we go!" Spaz replied as he jumped behind the steering wheel and grabbed it  
>with both hands, preparing to take evasive action. "Quick, send out a flare and alert the others!"<p>

"Okay." Pleakley turned to the control panel and pressed a red button. A red flare shot out of the  
>back of the fighter and exploded about halfway between the Resisty's ship and the Massive.<p>

Aboard the Resisty's ship, Chimera immediately noticed the flare. "They've given the signal, sir!"  
>she told Lard Nar. "And it looks like the Massive is targeting us with their biggest cannon!"<p>

"Alright, this is it!" said Lard Nar, jumping back into his seat. "Rescue team members to your ships!  
>Everyone else, man your stations!"<p>

"Whheee, this is gonna be fun!" shouted Shloonktapooxis.

The rescue party, which consisted of Jumba, Le-Sha, Luca, Nani, Strike, and Ixane, made their  
>way to the docking bay and jumped into their ships. Jumba and Nani rode together, since Nani<br>didn't know how to fly a ship. Luca and Strike took off first, followed by Ixane, then Le-Sha, and  
>finally Jumba and Nani.<p>

Back on the bridge, the other resisty members dashed toward their posts and immediately got to  
>work. Spleenk prepared the cannons for fire, while Chimera raised the shields. Shloonktapooxis<br>stationed himself beside the gunning pod next to Lard Nar's chair.

"Shields engaged!" Chimera announced.

"Guns armed and ready to fire!" added Spleenk.

Lard Nar turned to Shadowfax and nodded to him, giving his permission for the Centauri king to  
>give further orders.<p>

"Lock all weapons on that vessel and prepare to fire," ordered Shadowfax, pointing at the Massive.

Within seconds, every weapon online was locked on the Irken flagship.

"Target locked," announced Spleenk.

Shadowfax narrowed his eyes and raised his arm. "Fire!"

* * *

><p>Stitch scrambled across the ceiling of the Massive's cargo hold, keeping an eye out for any Irken<br>guards that might have followed him. Seeing none, he crawled down the wall and landed on the  
>floor, directly in front of one of Zim's battle tanks. Fascinated by the Irken war machine, he tiptoed<br>closer to get a better look at it.

He was just about to reach out and touch it when a sudden tremor knocked him off his feet.

"Whoa!" Stitch tumbled to the floor and rolled to the middle of the room. He pulled himself up  
>and struggled to keep his balance while the floor continued to shake beneath him.<p>

"Is someone there?" whispered a female voice that seemed to be coming from behind the battle  
>tanks.<p>

Ears perked up, Stitch scurried across the room toward the source of the voice. It was the Thraxxian  
>female who had helped him rescue Jet. She was curled up behind two barrels of root beer, trying to<br>avoid getting caught by the Irken guards.

"No be scared," said Stitch as he reached for the girl's hand. "My name Stitch. Stitch friend."

The Thraxxian took Stitch's hand and slowly stood up. "It's nice to meet you, Stitch," she said softly.  
>"My name is Mimsy."<p>

Just as the two aliens started to shake hands, the ship suddenly lurched to the left, throwing both  
>of them against the wall.<p>

"Ow!" moaned Mimsy as she tried to stand up again. As soon as her head cleared, the voices of  
>approaching Irken guards reached her ears.<p>

"Oh no! I think we're trapped!"

"Not trapped!" Stitch replied. He grabbed Mimsy's hand and led her to one of Zim's tanks. He climbed  
>on top of it, opened the hatch, and motioned for the Thraxxian girl to follow him as he climbed inside.<p>

* * *

><p>"Did you find the prisoners yet?" Tallest Purple asked.<p>

The head guard shook his head. "Not yet, my Tallest, but I think we're getting close." He pointed to a  
>trail of four-toed footprints leading up the wall, across the ceiling, and down the hall. "Apparently, that<br>blue koala guy is a pretty good climber."

"I don't care how good at climbing he is!" snapped Purple. "All I want is for those prisoners to be put  
>back in their cells. Now get busy!"<p>

"My Tallest? Over here, my Tallest!"

Growling like an angry wolf, Purple turned around to find Zim and Gir running down the hall toward him.

_Why hasn't he left yet?_ he thought. _He has his stupid tanks, for crying out loud!_ Sighing, the wisteria-eyed  
>Tallest reluctantly hovered toward the diminutive Irken to see was his problem was.<p>

"Yes, what is it now, Zim?" he asked wearily.

"Sir, there are intruders aboard the Massive," Zim explained. "I saw them invading through a hole  
>they made in one of the snack pods. I was just on my way to arrange transportation for my tanks<br>when-"

"WHAT?" Purple shrieked. "Someone infiltrated the snack pods and you just stood there letting  
>them do it?"<p>

Zim cringed in fear before the angry Tallest. He took a deep breath and opened his mouth to explain  
>when the floor began to rumble and shake violently.<p>

"What on Irk-?" Zim and Purple both looked down the hallway leading to the cargo hold - just in time  
>to see the biggest and most powerful of Zim's new tanks heading straight toward them!<p>

Both Irkens screamed and dashed for the nearest elevator while the tank followed them, firing small  
>grenades at their feet.<p>

Inside the tank, Stitch sat in the driver's seat with his hands on the steering wheel, laughing  
>maniacally. Mimsy sat next to him, manning the grenade cannon.<p>

"Should I fire another one?" she asked.

Stitch nodded.

"Okey-dokey!" Mimsy pressed three buttons on the control panel, launching another grenade  
>that exploded just inches behind Zim's head as he boarded the elevator with Gir and Purple.<p>

"Noooooo, my beautiful tanks!" wailed the puny little Irken.

"It went 'splody!" Gir squealed. "Just like this, ka-BLAM!"

"Gir, be quiet!"

* * *

><p>Lilo cautiously peeked her head through a door, making sure there was no one in the room<br>beyond. Deciding that the coast was clear, she tiptoed quietly into the room, wondering  
>which way the hangar was.<p>

_I sure wish this place had a map,_ she thought. _Too bad I can't find someone and ask for_  
><em>directions. If I do, they'll just throw me back in the prison cell.<em>

She glanced casually around the room surrounding her. It looked very much like a suite in  
>a fancy hotel , the kind that rich and famous people often stayed in when they went on<br>vacation. A bright pink couch sat in the middle of the lavishly decorated room, with a crystallized  
>coffee table directly in front of it. An expensive-looking candy dish sat upon the table, loaded<br>with all kinds of small candies.

Before Lilo could make another move, she heard someone yawning. She quickly ducked behind  
>a huge and exotic-looking potted plant, but emerged from her hiding place a few minutes later.<br>Her eyes swept around the room, finally resting upon a young Irken girl lying on the couch, wearing  
>a sleeping mask over her eyes.<p>

Lilo tiptoped up to the napping Irken and gently tapped her shoulder.

"What do you want?" asked the alien girl, not bothering to remove her mask.

"Please excuse me, miss," said Lilo, imitating a deep voice, "could you please tell me how to get to  
>the hangar? I, uh, seemed to have lost my way."<p>

"I told Daddy there should be maps of this stupid ship," the Irken sighed in exasperation. "Go down  
>to deck C, then head down the east hallway. The hangar should be the seventh door on the left. Just<br>FYI, the nearest elevator is right next to the snack bar. There will be signs pointing the way."

"Okay, thanks for your help," Lilo replied as she walked out of the room.

"No problem," the Irken girl replied.

* * *

><p>Jet crept silently past the door to the now deserted snack bar. Two of his Thraxxian friends followed<br>at his heels, keeping an eye out for danger.

_So far, so good,_ Jet thought. _If we could just get to the nearest elevator, Bo, Slark, and I have a good  
>chance of reaching the hangar without getting caught. And once<em> _we get_ _there, I'll go back for Maya and..._

_Maya._

"You alright, Jet?" asked one of the Thraxxians.

Jet pulled himself out of his thoughts. "Nothing's wrong, Bo, I'm fine," he said.

"Uh-huh, sure you are," sneered Slark, the other Thraxxian. "Bo and I both know your secret. You  
>like that Centauri girl, don't you?"<p>

"What are you talking about?" asked Jet, frowning.

"It's so obvious, by the way you look at her," Slark continued. "If I didn't know better, I'd say you  
>were in love with her."<p>

Jet's cheeks turned bright pink. "Don't be silly, Slark. I'm not in love in love with anyone. Now both  
>of you keep quiet or we'll-"<p>

"Jet, over here!"

Jet, Bo, and Slark shifted their gaze over to the end of the hallway, where Lilo stood waving to them.  
>They immediately rushed over to her.<p>

"You okay, kid?" asked Bo.

"I'm fine," Lilo replied. "There's an elevator just around this corner. I wandered into this fancy living  
>room and asked this Irken girl who was resting there for directions, and she told me."<p>

"She gave you directions instead of trying to catch you?" Bo asked in disbelief.

"She was wearing a sleeping mask over her eyes, so she didn't see who I was," Lilo explained. "She  
>just thought I was a guard or servant who worked here."<p>

"That's nice, Lilo, but now we've got to get you out of here," said Jet anxiously. The sound of the guards'  
>feet approaching was getting louder. "Quick, everyone into the elevator!"<p>

The four of them dashed into the elevator. Jet was just about to press the Deck C button when the guards  
>rounded the corner.<p>

"You! Halt!"

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Okay, that chapter was pretty crummy, so please forgive me. I'm kind of in a hurry to wrap this story up, **  
><strong>because I'll be going on a trip with my family next month, and I won't be able to use the internet for a<strong>  
><strong>while.<strong> **Anyway, R and R, please.**


	24. Chapter 23: The Sweetest Escape

Lilo closed her eyes tightly and waited for Jet to press the button that would take them  
>to Deck C, away from the approaching Irken guards. When nothing happened, she opened<br>her eyes again and looked down the hallway, expecting to see Irken guards with their guns  
>aimed at her and her friends.<p>

What she saw instead, however, were Jumba, Nani, and Strike!

"It's my sister!" she exclaimed. "Nani, over here!"

"Lilo!" Nani cried as she rushed toward her sister and scooped her up in a giant bear hug.

"Stop it, you're hugging me to death!" Lilo giggled.

"Run, Earth girls!" said Jumba as he aimed his plasma blaster at Jet.

"No, don't hurt Jet," said Lilo. "He's a good guy. He's helping me escape."

Strike jumped up and knocked the blaster out of Jumba's hand. "Do not threaten my master!"  
>he said rather menacingly.<p>

"Hey, take it easy, Strike," said Jet. "I can protect myself."

Nani set Lilo back down and turned to Jet. "Where are the others?"  
>she asked.<p>

"They've probably reached the hangar by now," Bo replied. "We were just on our way there."

"Come on, let's go find them!" Lilo jumped back on to the elevator, followed by Strike and Nani.  
>Jumba had to squeeze himself on to the elevator, because it was pretty narrow, and he took<br>up a lot of space.

"Ow, you're squashing me, fatso!" moaned Slark.

"Silence, lizard-boy!" Jumba replied.

Jet squeezed out of the elevator, making more room. "I'm going back for Maya," he announced.

"But Jet-" Lilo protested.

"No buts, Lilo. You go with your sister and find Stitch, Ducky, and Mimsy. As soon as you guys  
>reach the hangar, grab a ship and get out of there immediately. Don't wait for me, Maya and I<br>will catch up."

Strike defiantly stepped off the elevator. "I'm not leaving you, Master," he said sternly.

Jet picked up the SIR unit and placed him in Lilo's arms. "I'll be fine, buddy, don't worry," he said.  
>"Just take care of Lilo and the others, and make sure they get off the Massive safe and sound.<br>Got it?"

Strike saluted. "Yes, sir."

"Good. Now go, hurry!"

* * *

><p>Luca steadied himself against the wall as the ship shook from another enemy shot. Le-Sha and<br>Spleenk rode on his back, while Ixane and a grey-eyed Thraxxian male tiptoed nervously behind.

The Centauri male carefully stepped over the pieces of rubble littering the hallway floor. The  
>bottoms of Centauri hooves were very sensitive. If they were damaged, the Centauri would be<br>temporarily crippled, giving his or her enemy just enough time to kill them. There weren't any Irken  
>soldiers in the hallway at the moment, but Luca still wasn't taking any chances.<p>

"I wonder what happened here," Le-Sha mused aloud, surveying the damage in the area.

"Something terrible," remarked the Thraxxian. "Something scary and bad. I wanna go home!"

"Would y'all be quiet?" whispered Luca. "Them Irkens will hear us."

As the four aliens rounded the next coner, they came across the smoking remains of what looked  
>like a small Irken battle tank. Le-Sha and Spleenk jumped off Luca's back and moved in for a closer<br>look.

"I wonder who would be stupid enough to drive a battle tank aboard another ship," said Spleenk.

"Only someone who is either insane, or had too much coffee," Le-Sha told him.

Suddenly, a sharp scratching sound came from inside the tank, and the hatch on top began to open.  
>Spleenk and Le-Sha stepped back and watched as a blue koala-like alien and a Thraxxian girl emerged<br>from the wrecked tank.

"W-what happened, Stitch?" stammered the girl as she rubbed her forehead.

"Stitch crashed," moaned the koala-like creature. "Stitch sorry." He crawled out on top of the tank  
>and stared curiously at the four aliens watching him.<p>

"What in tarnation is that thing?" asked Luca, pointing at Stitch.

"I don't know," Spleenk replied, "but he sure looks cute." He reached out his hand to pet Stitch,  
>but the blue alien snapped at him, causing him to jump back, startled.<p>

The Thraxxian girl climbed down from the top of the tank, still rubbing her forehead. As sooned as her  
>vision cleared, her eyes rested upon the male Thraxxian watching her from around the corner.<p>

"Ducky, is that you?" she asked.

The Thraxxian male walked up to the girl and placed a hand on her shoulder. "I'm right here, Mimsy,"  
>he said softly. "Where are Slark and Bo?"<p>

"I think they're still on one of the upper decks," Mimsy replied. "We split up at the elevator near the  
>snack bar on Deck A. They told me they would meet me at the hangar."<p>

"Why don't we head to the hangar now?" Ixane suggested. "We can wait for them there."

The group of aliens, led by Stitch and Luca, began to make their way toward the hangar, carefully  
>stepping around the debris that littered the hallway. They were about halfway there when they<br>were suddenly stopped by Zim, who dropped from the ceiling right in front of them.

"No one ruins Zim's weapons and gets away with it!" hissed the defective Irken. "Prepare to suffer  
>the wrath of Zim!" He deployed his spider-legs and prepared to charge.<p>

Luca looked back at the rest of the group behind him. "Blue dude and I will distract him," he whispered  
>to Ixane. "The rest of you get to the hangar and wait for us there. If we're not there in five minutes,<br>leave without us."

Ixane nodded and led the group down the hallway while Stitch and Luca distracted Zim. They had  
>only gone a few feet when Gir stopped them.<p>

"None may pass!" said Gir as he deployed a flame thrower from his head. "You are intruders." He  
>was about to fry the floor at Ixane's feet when he noticed the chocolate chip cookie in Mimsy's<br>pocket.

"You gonna eat that?" he asked, switching from duty mode back to normal mode.

Shaking her head nervously, Mimsy pulled the cookie out of her pocket and handed it to Gir,  
>who eagerly accepted it and let them pass.<p>

Meanwhile, Zim was still trying to fend off Luca and Stitch and keep them from escaping. He quickly  
>dodged a swift kick from Luca, only to get hit in the face by a blob of Stitch's acid spit. Screaming in<br>agony and rage, the Irken charged at Stitch and tried to stab him with one of his spider-legs, paying  
>no attention to Luca.<p>

Seeing his chance, the Centauri grabbed Zim's remaining three spider-legs, yanked the Irken away  
>from Stitch, and spun him around in a wide circle.<br>After ten circles, the legs snapped, sending Zim flying straight into the wall!

Zim hit the wall face first and slid to the floor, groaning in pain. Slowly and carefully he turned his  
>head to the right and glared at Luca.<p>

"As soon as my skeleton stops being broken," he moaned, "I will destroy you and your little blue  
>friend."<p>

Stitch marched up to the downed Irken and hissed menacingly in his face. "Irk nala queesta!"  
>he snarled.<p>

Too tired to even say anything, Zim just whimpered and lay where he was, watching Stitch and  
>Luca continue toward the hangar and Gir munch his cookie.<p>

* * *

><p>About five minutes after Luca and Stitch arrived at the hangar, they were joined by Lilo, Nani,<br>Jumba, Strike, and the remaining two Thraxxians.

Lilo ran over to Stitch and threw her arms around him. "I'm guessing it was you who made the  
>big mess in the hallway," she said. "Good job, Stitch."<p>

Stitch looked around, noticing that someone was missing. "Where's Jet?" he asked.

"He went back for Maya," said Nani. "He told the rest of us to go ahead and escape. He and  
>Maya will catch up with us later."<p>

Suddenly, an alarm went off, alerting the Irken guards elsewhere aboard the Massive that the  
>prisoners were escaping.<p>

"Sorry to break up y'all's reunion," said Luca, "but unless y'all want to end up back in that cellblock,  
>we'd better skeddadle!"<p>

The prisoners and their rescuers scrambled toward their ships and jumped into the cockpits, two to  
>a ship. They had just started their engines when the guards arrived.<p>

"You, halt!" screamed the head guard. He gave a signal, and the other guards began firing at the  
>ships as they took off.<p>

"Let's go!" shouted Luca. He activated the thrusters on his and Strike's ship and zoomed back toward  
>the Resisty's ship, followed first by Lilo and Stitch, then Le-Sha and Ixane, Mimsy and Spleenk, Jumba<br>and Nani, and finally Bo, Slark, and Ducky.

"Blitznak!" cursed the head guard as he shook his fists at the escaping ships. "The Tallests will deactivate  
>me for sure!"<p> 


	25. Chapter 24: You'll Never Take Her

**Okay, here's the next to last chapter. Yep, that's right, I'll be wrapping everything up next chapter *sob*. I sure hope all of you**  
><strong>had as much fun reading this story as I had writing it.<strong>

* * *

><p>Jet sidled against the walls of the hallway leading to the Massive's bridge. As he reached the<br>nearest corner, he peeked around it to make sure there was no danger. Seeing no one, he dived  
>toward the center of the hallway and did a somersault that ended at the opposite wall. He continued<br>doing this back and forth between the walls, until he reached the hall that lead to the bridge.

"S***," muttered Jet when he noticed that there were four guards guarding the entrance. "What  
>do I do now?" His mind began to spin as he tried to think of a way to distract the guards. Suddenly,<br>he felt his squeedily-spooch rumble with hunger. Glancing around the corner at the guards, he wondered  
>how long it had been since they last ate.<p>

_They must be pretty hungry,_ he thought. _Wait a minute...Hungry...That's it!_

He opened his PAK and fished out a small megaphone-like device. As he stood up straight, with his  
>back placed firmly against the wall, he lifted the device to his mouth and spoke loudly into it:<p>

"ATTENTION! THE SNACK BAR IS NOW SERVING CHOCOLATE CREME ECLAIRS! COME AND GET 'EM  
>WHILE THEY LAST!"<p>

One of the guards perked up immediately at the sudden announcement.

"Did you hear that?" he said excitedly to his comrades. "There are eclairs at the snack bar! Let's  
>go get some!"<p>

Having gone without eating for four days straight, the other guards eagerly agreed. Besides, they  
>thought, they would only be leaving their posts for about two or three minutes. It was extremely<br>unlikely that someone would come and break in during such a small amount of time.

Licking their lips in eager anticipation, all four guards dashed quickly toward the elevator that  
>would take them to the snack bar.<p>

Jet grinned as he watched the guards disappear down the hall. _Suckers,_ he thought. As soon  
>as they were out of sight, he emerged from his hiding place and rushed toward the bridge as<br>fast as his legs could carry him.

_Hang on, Maya! I'm coming!_

* * *

><p>Maya looked away from the Massive's main view screen, trying not to think about the horrible<br>image it was showing. But every time she closed her eyes, she could see another resistance  
>fighter being shot at and narrowly escaping an untimely death.<p>

"When will this nightmare end?" she whispered as she sank to the floor on her knees. "I've  
>had enough of this. I just want to go home."<p>

The Tallests, however, were having a good time watching the Resisty try to take them on, but  
>failing miserably. As the small Vort fighters charged boldly at the Massive, only to fly away crying<br>for mommy as lasers rained down mercilessly upon them, the two Irken tyrants shoved junk food  
>into their mouths and laughed loudly.<p>

"Can you believe those idiots?" asked Red, tears of laughter pouring down his cheeks. "They go  
>on and on about how one day they will bring the Irken Empire to its knees, and then they chicken<br>out at the last-minute!"

"Yeah, that is pretty funny," Purple agreed, his mouth full of Oreos. He glanced at the small clock  
>built into the right arm of his chair. "Hey, it's been almost an hour since King Shadowfax called us.<br>Should we call him back?"

"What?" Red checked the clock on his own chair. "Oh yeah, that's right." He turned to Zarthab.  
>"Cease fire and open a channel with the Resisty's ship!"<p>

"Yes, my Tallest!" Zarthab replied as he and the other technicians immediately got to work.

_What do I do?_ Maya thought as she nervously shuffled her hands. _I can't let Dad withdraw our  
>troops just to save me! We have allies in the Outer Regions that need<em> _our_ _help standing up against  
>the Irken Machine. We can't back out now...!<em>

"Psst, over here!"

Maya's ears perked up as a sudden whisper reached them. She looked up to find Jet tiptoeing  
>slowly toward her. Normally, seeing an Irken approaching her would have made her scared or<br>angry, but now she had never been so relieved in her life.

"Where are the others?" she asked him.

"They're safe on the Resisty's ship, don't worry," Jet replied. "I told them I would catch up as soon  
>as I had you." He deployed a metal spider-leg from his PAK and began picking the locks on Maya's<br>chains with it.

Meanwhile, the Massive had successfully opened a line with the Resisty's ship, and the Tallests stood  
>face to face with Shadowfax once more.<p>

"Well, Shadowfax, have you decided yet?" asked Red.

"I'll do anything," the Centauri King replied. "Just please, don't hurt my daughter." However, when he  
>saw Jet undoing Maya's chains, he breathed a sigh of relief, which, fortunately, the Tallests didn't notice.<p>

Upon hearing her father's voice, Maya turned her head toward the screen to look at him. As soon as the  
>last of her chains came off, he mouthed "Go", and she immediately got up and followed Jet to the door.<p>

"Alright then, here are our demands," Red was saying to Shadowfax. "First, you will withdraw every single  
>one of your troops from our territory. Second, you will decommission all of your outposts on the Vortian<br>border. Third, you will..."

His voice was soon cut off by the sound of metal chains clanking as they hit the floor. He and Purple both  
>turned around to find Maya and Jet standing in the doorway leading away from the bridge.<p>

"Jet, get on!" yelled Maya as she scooped Jet on to her back. "Let's get out of here!" She bolted out the  
>door and down the hallway, with Red and Purple in hot pursuit.<p>

"Get back here!" shouted Purple. "We're not finished with you yet!"

"Let's split up," Red suggested. "You chase them down that hallway, and I'll head them off at the  
>elevator."<p>

"Okay," Purple agreed. He continued to follow Jet and Maya down the west hall, while Red went down  
>the east hall to the elevator.<p>

In an attempt to throw Purple off her trail, Maya made a sharp turn at the next corner, causing Purple  
>to bump into the wall. Jet clung tightly to her back, trying not to let go and fall off. They were almost to<br>the elevator when Red jumped in front of them, cutting them off.

"It's the end of the line for you two," he growled.

"Not quite," Maya replied. She leaned back toward Jet and whispered, "Hang on tight." She took five  
>steps backward and, just as Purple was rounding the corner, began to charge at Red. When she was<br>about two feet away from the cherry-eyed Irken, she reared up on her hind legs and leaped over his  
>head, landing in the elevator behind him.<p>

Before Red or Purple had a chance to recover from their shock at what had just happened, Jet pressed  
>the Deck C button, and he and Maya both disappeared from view.<p>

Red dashed toward a control panel on the wall and began pressing buttons on it. "I'm shutting down  
>all elevator activity on Decks B and C," he explained to Purple. "That should slow them down and give<br>us more time to catch them."

Purple activated the comlink built into the wristguard on his right arm. "Attention all guards!" he shouted  
>into it. "We have an escaped prisoner on the run. They should be on Deck B by now. Don't let them reach<br>the hangar!"

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, in the hangar aboard the Resisty's ship, the prisoners and their rescuers scrambled out of<br>their ships and made a beeline for the bridge to await further orders from Shadowfax and Lard Nar.  
>Stitch, however, remained in his ship.<p>

"Come on Stitch," said Lilo as she jumped out. "Let's go see what the resistance people want us  
>to do next."<p>

Stitch shook his head. "No. Jet and Maya in trouble. Stitch go back for them."

Lilo grabbed Stitch's arm and tried to pull him out of the cockpit. "No, Stitch. Jet said he would catch  
>up with us later. Besides, you can't go back aboard the Irkens' ship now. We're getting ready to<br>leave."

Stitch gently pried Lilo's hand from him. "Stitch be okay," he said gently. "Get Jet and Maya, then  
>come back." With that, he closed the windshield around the cockpit and started the engine.<p>

"Stitch!" cried Lilo as she watched Stitch's ship lift off and zoom back toward the Massive.

* * *

><p>"Blitznak!" cried Jet when the elevator came to a sudden stop on Deck B.<p>

"What happened?" Maya asked.

"The Tallests must have disabled the elevators," Jet replied grimly. "I guess that means  
>we'll have to take the stairs. But they're at the back end of the ship. I'm not sure we'll be<br>able to get there without getting caught."

"We'll have to try," Maya told him. "It's our only chance."

"Hold it right there!"

Guards began pouring into the room from all directions, guns armed and ready to fire.

"Let's go, now!" shouted Jet. Maya reared up on her hind legs and plowed through the crowd  
>of guards, knocking two of them into the wall as she passed them. The others divided themselves<br>into teams and resumed the chase.

Jet threw his arms around Maya's waist and held on as the Centauri girl continued to make sharp  
>turns and sudden jumps to avoid her pursuers and their gunshots. His head was spinning wildly<br>from the combined sounds of Maya's hooves against the floor and the shots from the guards' guns.  
>But he reminded himself that as soon as he and Maya had reached the hangar, it would be smooth<br>sailing from then on.

"We're almost there!" he yelled as a sign pointing the way to the stairs came into view. "Just a  
>little further!"<p>

Suddenly, a laser blast zoomed toward Maya and hit the underside of her left hind foot. Crying  
>out in pain, she tumbled to the floor, throwing Jet off her back. The Irken landed hard on his back,<br>knocking the wind out of his breathing organ. He sat up slowly and rubbed his head, wondering  
>what had just happened.<p>

"Maya?" Jet pulled himself to his feet and looked around for the Centauri princess. He frowned  
>in suspicion when he noticed a large, milky-blue puddle on the floor, then he gasped when he<br>saw what lay right behind it.

"MAYA!"

There, lying sprawled on the floor, was Maya. Her eyes were half open, and she was panting softly.  
>Her left hind foot was bleeding quite heavily, dripping pale blue Centauri blood on the floor. Standing<br>over her, holding a laser gun, was Tallest Red, with Tallest Purple standing a few feet behind him.

"Say goodnight, Your Highness," Red snarled as he raised his gun and prepared to fire.

"No!" yelled Jet as he charged at Red and smacked his arm, causing the taller Irken to drop his gun.  
>Surprised, Red and Purple both stared at Jet, who stared defiantly back.<p>

After a long period of silence, Red finally spoke.

"You disappoint me, Jet," he said. "You could have been one of our finest soldiers, one of the best the  
>Irken Empire could offer. But instead, you're choosing to throw away your chances at greatness for the<br>likes of -" he practically spat out the next word "-_her!"_

"Yeah, don't you remember what the Centauri do to us?" Purple chimed in. "They're trying to stop us  
>from taking what's ours, and they kill hundreds of us every day."<p>

"Only because we've killed thousands of them," Jet replied. "They're only fighting us because of what  
>we did to them long ago. We kidnapped their children for no reason."<p>

"They were trespassing, Jet," Red said grimly. "They were stealing what should have been ours. We  
>were just teaching them a lesson, that's all. Now, step aside and let me put her out of her misery." He<br>raised one of his spider-legs high above his head and advanced toward Maya.

"NO!" Jet crouched down next to Maya and cradled her head in his lap. The Centauri girl opened her eyes  
>and looked up at her rescuer.<p>

"Get out...of here...Jet," she said weakly. "Save...yourself..." Her breath came out in ragged gasps.

Jet shook his head. "I'm not leaving without you, Maya," he told her. "You're going to be okay, I  
>promise." He turned to face the Tallests, eyes burning with hatred.<p>

"You can do whatever you want to me," he said boldly, "but you won't lay a finger on Maya. As  
>long as I'm around, you'll never take her."<p>

By now, the guards had caught up and were gathered behind the Tallests, awaiting further orders.  
>Finally, Red pointed a skinny finger at Jet and Maya and shouted, "Destroy them!"<p>

The guards immediately held up their blasters and prepared to fire. But before the first shot could be fired,  
>a big red police cruiser came crashing through the middle of the hallway, creating a big hole in the side of<br>the Massive.

"Aloha!"

"Stitch!" exclaimed Jet as he looked up at the blue koala-like alien. "Help me get Maya on board, and then  
>let's go."<p>

It just so happened that particular section of the hallway was located directly behind one of the snack  
>pods. So when Stitch came crashing in, he broke right through the pod, causing all kinds of bags of goodies<br>to go flying out into space.

"Noooooo! Our snacks!" screamed Red as he and Purple ran around, frantically trying to round up as many  
>snacks as they could before they all floated away. Purple pointed at one of the guards and yelled, "You!<br>Save the donuts!"

While the Tallests and their guards were busy trying to save their snacks, Stitch and Jet carefully loaded  
>Maya into the cruiser. As soon as she was safely on board, they both jumped into the cockpit, where Stitch<br>fired up the engine and pulled away from the Massive. As soon as they were a safe distance away, Stitch  
>activated the hyperdrive and prepared to follow the Resisty's ship into hyperspace.<p>

In the backseat of the cruiser, Maya was fading quickly into unconsciousness. The loss of blood was making  
>her feel weak. Jet took her hand in his own and squeezed it gently.<p>

"We're going to get help for you," he was telling her, but she was hearing the words as if they were  
>being spoken from far away. "You'll be alright, just hang on...Hang on..."<p>

Those were the last words Maya remembered hearing before the darkness of unconsciousness  
>finally swallowed her up.<p> 


	26. Epilogue: Welcome To The Family, Jet!

Galactic Alliance Memorial Hospital, Planet Turo...

_"Will she be okay?"_

_"Well, she lost a lot of blood, but I think she'll be fine."_

_"When will we know for sure?"_

_"We'll know when the time comes. Now please, just let her rest."_

Maya tried to open her eyes to see who was talking, but they refused to open. She opened her  
>mouth and tried to speak, but all that came out was a long, soft moan.<p>

_What happened to me?_ she thought. _Where am I? Where are my parents, my friends? ...Jet?_  
>There was so much she wanted to ask, but she was too weak and tired to even whisper.<p>

She felt a warm hand on her forehead, and another stroking her gently behind the ears.  
>She could hear a soft voice talking to her, but it sounded so far away.<p>

_What's happening to me? ...Why won't I wake up? ...Am I dying? ...Somebody please tell me _  
><em>what's going on...!<em>

Suddenly, there was a flash of bright light, and Maya's eyes flew open. She sat upright, panting  
>heavily and blinking against the harsh light that assaulted her eyes. As her vision cleared and<br>adjusted to the light, she saw that she was in a hospital room, lying on one of those rolling metal  
>beds. Her clothes had been removed, and she was now clad in a pale green hospital gown. She<br>removed the blanket that covered her hind half and looked down at her injured foot, noticing it  
>was snugly wrapped in medicated bandage strips.<p>

"What in the world...?" Maya started to ask herself, but was interrupted when the door to the  
>room slid open. A pink cat-like nurse walked in, carrying a computerized clipboard under her right<br>arm.

"Ah, you've awakened," she said cheerfully when she noticed Maya sitting up in bed. "I'm just going  
>to take your blood pressure real quick, and then I'll check your foot." She pulled a small metal device<br>attached to a tiny cushion-like thing out of her pocket, then she gently placed the cushion against  
>Maya's throat and held it there for five minutes.<p>

"Your blood pressure is normal, sweetie," said the nurse as she checked the results. "It was  
>pretty low when you were first admitted, but I think you'll be just fine now." She put the device<br>back into her pocket. "Now let's check and she how your foot is doing."

She gently removed some of the bandages on Maya's foot and examined the damaged hoof.  
>"It looks like you've taken some pretty heavy damage there, young lady," she chided gently.<br>"However, it looks like it's going to be okay." She sprayed the wound with disinfectant and  
>replaced the old bandages with fresh ones, then walked to the door.<p>

"Wait!"

The nurse stopped and turned to look at Maya once more.

"What is it, honey?" she asked.

"Where are my parents and my friends? Are they here, too?"

The nurse nodded. "They're down in the lobby right now. They'll be able to visit you in about  
>thirty minutes."<p>

"Okay, thank you," Maya replied as the nurse walked out the door.

* * *

><p>Lilo giggled as Jet told her about how Stitch had rescued him and Maya. She had to fight to keep<br>herself from shrieking with laughter when he got to the part about the Tallests' snacks.

"I wish I could have been there to see that," she said. "'No, our precious snacks!'" She began  
>running around in little circles, pretending to be the Tallests trying to save their goodies. However,<br>a warning look from Nani made her stop.

"Yeah, it was pretty funny," said Jet. His smile quickly vanished as his thoughts turned back to  
>Maya. "I just hope she's okay."<p>

Pleakley placed a gentle hand on the Irken's shoulder. "I'm sure she'll be just fine," he said.  
>"If I know Maya, and I do, she's never been one to give up easily."<p>

Jet nodded. "You're right. I should stop worrying about her. She's a tough girl, I'll hand her  
>that. And also pretty good-looking, for a Centauri."<p>

"And very spunky, ornery, and stubborn," Jumba added with a chuckle.

"Yes, that too," Shadowfax agreed.

While the group continued to share their favourite things about Maya, a wolf-like doctor  
>appeared in the lobby, holding a steaming cup of coffee.<p>

"Follow me, please," he said in a deep but gentle voice. "Princess Amaya wishes to see  
>you."<p>

The visitors got up from their chairs and followed the doctor to Maya's room. When they  
>arrived, the doctor knocked on the door and entered the room first.<p>

* * *

><p>"Princess, you have visitors," the doctor announced as he entered. He turned to the small<br>crowd gathered behind him and motioned for them to come in, which they did.

The moment they entered the room, Stitch and Strike climbed up on Maya's bed and threw  
>their arms around her waist, causing everyone, Maya included, to laugh softly.<p>

"Thanks a lot, Stitch," said Maya, patting Stitch on the head. "And you too, Strike. I had no  
>idea you cared about me that much."<p>

"Any friend of my master's is a friend of mine," the SIR unit replied.

"Hey, what about me?" whined Spaz. "I'm Jet's friend too, right?"

Strike walked up to Spaz and stared at him for a while. Suddenly, he grabbed the Thraxxian's  
>right leg and hugged it tight.<p>

"I guess that means yes," Jet remarked.

Maya's parents approached their daughter and sat down on the end of her bed. Noticing the  
>grave look in her father's eyes, Maya hung her head.<p>

"I'm in trouble, aren't I?" she asked.

"A lot more than you think, young lady," her father replied. "Your mother and I were worried sick  
>about you the whole time. Honestly, what were you thinking, taking Lilo and running off into a<br>dangerous part of space? You know better than that."

"I know it was a stupid thing for me to do," Maya said softly. "I just wanted to teach the Irkens a  
>lesson, but I almost killed myself and others because of my foolishness. I deserve to be sent back<br>to Centauria and not allowed to leave the planet until I die."

Hippodamia placed a hand on her daughter's shoulder. "No sweetheart, if you're happy on Earth,  
>then of course you may stay there. However, you did disobey us, so you will still be punished."<p>

"You mother and I have talked about it," said Shadowfax, "and we have decided you may continue  
>to live on Earth. However, starting when you return there, you may not leave the planet for a month.<br>And for another month after that, you may leave the planet only with a qualified escort."

Maya sighed. She wasn't too thrilled about having her privileges temporarily revoked, but at least it  
>was better than being grounded for life.<p>

Suddenly, she remembered Jet and Strike.

"Hey, what about Jet and Strike?" she asked. "What's going to happen to them?"

"Maya's right," Lilo piped up. "They can't go back to Irk, and I don't think they can continue to live on  
>Thraxx. They need somewhere to stay."<p>

"Us," Stitch announced.

Everyone in the room looked at him, confused. "What?"

"Jet come live with us," Stitch explained. "On Earth."

"Me, live with you?" asked a very puzzled Jet.

"Yes, that's a great idea," Maya said. "Earth isn't exactly the fanciest planet in the galaxy, but I think  
>you might like it."<p>

Nani immediately objected. "Ohhhh, no!" she said firmly. "We've got enough aliens in the house as it is."

Lilo, Stitch, Maya, and Jet all cast pleading looks at Nani, who continued to object. "Look, I said no, I mean  
>no...We don't have any room...We can't...Where is he going to sleep...?" Finally, Nani gave up.<p>

"Oh, what's the use?" she sighed. "Fine, he can stay with us."

Everyone in the family, incuding Jet, cheered. Smiling happily, Maya and Lilo threw their arms around their  
>newest family member.<p>

"Welcome to the family, Jet!"

* * *

><p><strong>Well, that was my first fanfic, I hope you all enjoyed it. I would like to thank all my reviewers, especially<strong>  
><strong>KotaWingz, for your kind reviews. They really kept me going. Thanks everyone. You guys are awesome!<strong>


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